


Lily's Love

by Madeline_Canada_Williams



Series: Rumple's Rose series [2]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-08
Updated: 2016-04-03
Packaged: 2018-05-25 13:16:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 63,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6196459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madeline_Canada_Williams/pseuds/Madeline_Canada_Williams
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to Rumple's Rose. The curse has been enacted and everyone is in Storybrooke. Lily, a.k.a. Rose, shows everyone that love conquers all in the darkest of times.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"What's my name?"

"Mr. Gold." 

"What is the name of the town?"

"Storybrooke." 

"Alright, one last question. What is your name?"

"My name is Lily."

 

Lily. That was her name now. Lily. They were in a new world. They had a new life. Everything was different. He was now Mr. Gold, owner of Mr. Gold's Pawn Shop and Antiques, landlord of most of the property of Storybrooke. He practically owned the town. People feared him, just as they did in the Enchanted Forest. Everyone, except one person. The only one who loved him and didn't fear him. She was once called Rose in her past life. Now, she is Lily Gold, daughter of Mr. Gold. He still didn't understand how or why Regina would allow him something that would bring his happiness. The curse was meant to take away everyone's happy ending so she could have her own. He couldn't think on it more before Lily's voice brought him from his thought.

"Why are you asking me questions, Daddy?" She didn't remember. No one in town would remember. Since he was the Dark One and he created the curse, his memory was intact. And because he created it and only his magic could affect Rose, her memory was gone. He simply smiled.

"Just wanted to refresh my memory about some things. I'm getting old." She smiled her sweet smile that he loved so much.

"I don't think you're that old." He chuckled.

"You have no idea." She knitted her eyebrows together in confusion. He knew she didn't know what he meant by that. "Come on. Time to get you ready for school."

"Okay." Things that morning fell into place without a thought. After he put on one of his expensive suits, he helped Lily dress. Then, they both went down to the kitchen and he prepared them breakfast. She helped him, as she always did. They sat at the small table in the kitchen and ate together as Lily told him of her dreams. He was glad that was something that didn't change. Lily was still his Rose. She was still the same sweet little girl that he raised back in the Enchanted Forest. After breakfast, they got in his car and he drove her to school. They pulled up to the school and he saw the other children on the playground. He wondered if Lily had friends. She didn't have the opportunity to have any back home. He was, once again, pulled from his thoughts by Lily. "Daddy?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"Are you okay?" He gave her a gentle smile.

"Of course. Why do you ask?"

"You made a weird face. Does your ankle hurt again?" He hated that he had his shattered ankle back and it worried her.

"No, it's not that. I was just thinking."

"About what?" He chuckled.

"Grown up things."

"What kind of grown up things?" Just as curious as ever, he thought.

"Have a good day at school, flower." He too late caught his mistake. Did he call her that in this world? He hadn't even thought of it before it slipped out of his mouth. It was a usual term of endearment he called her since she was a baby.

"I will, Daddy." She gave him a quick hug and got out of the car. He assumed that answered his question. He still called her that. He watched her as she joined the other children on the playground. She looked so happy and he was glad. She seemed to be very well liked and have a lot of friends. He then pulled away from the school and headed down to his shop. He parked his car in the alley next to the shop. He exited his car and went around the front, looking up at the shop sign. "Mr. Gold Pawnbroker & Antique Dealer." He entered his shop and saw all of the antique merchandise. He recognized most of it from the Enchanted Forest. He saw the puppets of Geppetto's parents, a drinking stile of one of the seven dwarfs, even the mobile from Snow White's castle.

None of that was important. He had a business to run. He opened up shop and went into his office in the back. He saw a pile of documents on his desk. He sat at his desk and started to sort through them. They were records of everyone in Storybrooke that were renting from him. Collection day for the month was in a week and a lot of people owed him a lot of money. After about an hour of going through papers, he decided to take a break for the small print of the paper were starting to hurt his eyes. His ankle was also starting to bother him. He opened the drawer of his desk for a bottle of pain killers.

In the drawer, he noticed a manila folder. He pulled it out and opened it. Inside were more documents. As he looked on, he noticed they were court case papers. He figured they were people trying to sue him. Continuing through the papers, he came across some that really caught his attention. They looked like adoption papers. He wondered why he had adoption papers. He then came across a certificate of adoption that read: This certificate certifies that Lily Anne Hart has been formally adopted by Mr. Robert Gold on the 22nd of August of the year 1982. Lily? He adopted Lily? That would make sense. Rose, or rather Lily, still wasn't his biological daughter. His false memories started playing out. He started to see how it all started.

 

February 1982

Mr. Gold was making his rounds around town, collecting rent from everyone. He had been to all the small businesses and the apartment complex. His next target were the houses that people were renting. Only a few could afford to buy their houses so they wouldn't owe Gold anything. Everyone else wasn't as lucky. His last stop was a small one story house on a corner. As he approached the house, he saw a young girl with long brown hair in the front yard playing with a cat. He had seen the girl many times, but never spoke to her. She wore a pink dress with multi-colored leggings and a light jacket. She must be cold, he thought. In Maine, it was always cold. That jacket alone couldn't be keeping her warm. He smiled at her as he went up the walkway.

"Hello there." She looked up at him with bright emerald eyes. She gave him a nervous smile.

"Hi." He noticed the nervous tone in her voice. No doubt she probably feared him just like everyone else.

"What's your name, little one?" She hesitated for a moment. She wasn't sure whether to answer him or not.

"I can't talk to strangers."

"I see. Well, let me introduce myself. My name is Mr. Gold."

"Gold is a funny name." He chuckled.

"I suppose it is. What about you? Do you have a funny name?" She gave an adorable little giggle.

"No. My name is Lily."

"Lily, eh? That's a lovely name for a young lady as lovely as yourself." She smiled. He gestured to the cat. "What's your cat's name?"

"He's not mine, but he comes by everyday and I like to play with him. I call him Simba."

"Simba? What made you choose that name?" She shrugged her shoulders.

"I dunno. I just did. Do you like cats?" He chuckled.

"I'm actually more of a dog person."

"I like dogs too." This child is delightful, he thought. He had always had a weak spot for children, but there was something about that little girl that was different. She was adorably sweet and kind. Unlike...

"Lily! What did I tell you about talking to strangers?!" He looked up and saw Lily's mother, Portia. She had long curly raven hair and dark emerald eyes. While Lily's eyes were filled with curiosity and wonder, her mother's were filled with anger and bitterness. Aside from the nuns, she was his least favorite tenant. Lily stood up.

"But..."

"Don't you dare 'but' me! And I told you to stop playing with that damn cat! It could have a disease and I am not paying for you to get a rabies shot! Get your ass in this house right now!" Without another word, Lily ran into the house. Portia turned back to Mr. Gold.

"A bit hard on the girl, don't you think?"

"What do you care?" He shrugged his shoulders.

"Simply making an observation." She approached him with an envelope in her hand.

"How I handle my daughter is my business. Here's the rent." He took the envelope and looked inside of it. He then stuffed the envelope in his coat pocket.

"Well, looks like my business here is done. And if I were you, I'd go easy on the girl. She's only a child." She rolled her eyes.

"I'll handle her however I see fit. Do you have a problem with that?" He didn't trust the way she said that, but it wasn't any of his business. In the back of his mind, he still worried for the poor girl. Portia Hart was never the nicest woman in town. She always put people down and felt she was better than everyone else. Her former boyfriend was the same way. He felt that things should always go his way and people should do what he wanted just because he was the sheriff at the time. He had died in a drunk driving accident. After that, Deputy Graham took over as sheriff and Portia became even more of a bitch. Not long after, she had Lily. Everyone in the small town worried for the child, but no one dared to do anything. He simply smirked.

"Not at all. Good day to you, Ms. Hart." He turned to leave. Portia turned and went back inside, slamming the door behind her. He turned and saw Lily in the window. She smiled and waved at him. He smiled and waved back. He then turned and made his way back to his car. He didn't see a hand grab Lily's arm and yank her from the window. When he sat back in his car, he looked to see if Lily was still in the window and saw that she wasn't. Figuring she left on her own, he started up his car and drove off. He would only later realize his mistake of leaving her to her mother's vices.


	2. Chapter 2

Rumple remembered it all, even though it never happened. Of course with it being merely a false memory, his "past" self knew nothing of who Lily once was. It played out as if there was life in Storybrooke long before the curse. The more he recalled on the "memories", the worse things got.

 

It had been a week since Mr. Gold had met Lily. She was such a sweet girl. If only her mother could be half as pleasant as she was. It was all in the past, but he couldn't help but think about the child. Her mother was very easy to anger. What she did with that anger towards Lily was what worried him. He tried to give Portia the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she wouldn't go as far as to harm her own child. Something in the back of his mind told him he was wrong, but he tried to ignore it. He continued on with his days. He ran his shop and conducted his business. He was in his office when he heard the bell ding. Sighing in frustration, he got up and went to see who entered his shop. When he pulled back the curtain, he saw a child with brown hair looking around one of the counters.

"May I help you?" She turned and he saw a pair of familiar emerald eyes.

"Hi, Mr. Gold." He couldn't help but smile at the child. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was happy to see her.

"Hello, Lily. What brings you by today?" She walked over to him.

"I wanted to see you." He was a bit shocked. No one ever wanted to see him unless they wanted to negotiate or make deals with him. Otherwise, people tried to avoid him.

"Really? And why would you want to see me?" She shrugged her shoulders.

"I think you're really nice." He had to chuckle.

"Is that right? I think everyone else would disagree with you." She tilted her head in confusion.

"Why?" He smirked.

"Well, believe it or not, many people think I'm very mean. Some might even say evil."

"I don't think you're mean."

"I can see that. You would be the first." She gave him a smile.

"So, can I stay? Please?" He couldn't help but chuckle. She truly was an odd child, but she was tolerable.

"I don't see why not. Does your mother know you're here?" Her smile fell and looked down at her feet.

"No."

"Really? And where does she think you are right now?" She hesitated before she gave an answer.

"Probably at home." He was a bit confused.

"If she thinks you're at home, where is she?" She shrugged her shoulders again.

"Mommy doesn't come home until really late. I think she works, but I don't know where." He knew exactly where Portia worked. She was a bartender down at the Rabbit Hole. She drank more drinks than she served. He noticed that every time he went to collect rent there, she would always be fawning over every guy there, completely drunk. It was the only reason she kept her job. She always kept men coming back every night. It was amazing she was ever sober enough to care for her young daughter.

"I see. Well, you are welcome to stay here, but you can't stay too late. You need to be back home before your mother." She smiled once again.

"Okay." He led her back to his office and she sat on the mattress he kept there for if he ever stayed late and needed to rest. He sat back at his desk and resumed his paperwork. He looked over and saw Lily slowly taking off her backpack. He noticed that she looked like she was being extremely careful and her face contorted in slight pain. He worried about her.

"Are you alright, Lily? You look pained." When she looked up, he didn't miss the second of fear in her eyes.

"Yeah. I fell off the jungle gym at school today." He didn't believe that for a moment.

"Really? Did you see the nurse?" She didn't look at him.

"Yes. She said I was okay." He knew she was lying. He stood from his desk, walked over to the mattress and sat next to her. She looked up to him.

"Let me see." He saw another flash of fear in her eyes. He was certain that she was lying to him. She was hiding something.

"Why?"

"I might be able to help you. I know a thing or two about pain and how to deal with it. You wouldn't want your mother to worry if she came home and saw you in pain, would you?" He saw the hesitation in her eyes. He only wished he knew what was going through her mind at that moment. She started to remove her jacket. He saw she was in even more pain and helped her. When the jacket was off, what he saw was horrifyingly disturbing. Both of her arms were covered in dark bruises and scratch marks. The bruises went up her arm to her shoulder and who knows where else. She didn't fall off any jungle gym. The child was beaten horribly.

"Lily, you're covered in bruises."

"I told you. I fell off the jungle gym at school."

"Is that all that happened? You just fell?" In the back of his mind, he had a pretty good idea what happened, but he wanted to see if she would tell the truth when given the chance.

"Yes." He could tell she didn't want to tell what happened. He knew Portia did it. He could have easily taken her down to the sheriff and report what Portia did, but he could prove anything and Lily would just tell him she fell. He had to just play along for the time being. He didn't want to pressure her for the truth and risk losing what little trust she had for him.

"Well, try to be careful next time. You could break something if you're not careful." He gave her a few ice packs that he kept in case his ankle ever bothered him too much. The next hour was filled with gentle conversation. Lily had a very large array of topics, most involved odd dreams she had. Mr. Gold found the girl most entertaining.

After a while, he heard her stomach growl angrily. She was hungry. He knew Portia would still be working. He didn't know if she would've had the decency to leave her daughter something for dinner. To be on the safe side, he decided to order dinner. He called Dove, his personal assistant, to pick up some food from Granny's Diner. When he heard the bell over the door, he went to meet Dove in the front of the shop so he wouldn't see Lily. Dove questioned why he had two different orders, but he knew better than to question his boss. Gold gave Dove the rest of the day off. He and Lily enjoyed their meals as Lily carried on about one of her dreams that involved a mermaid and her talking animal friends. Another two hours went by and it was starting to get dark out. Gold checked his watch that it was almost six o'clock. He hadn't realized how the time had went by. He couldn't remember the last time he had a decent conversation with a person, even if it was a child. Though he didn't want it to end, he knew she needed to leave.

"It's getting late, Lily. You need to head home before it gets too dark." He saw the disappointment in her eyes. He had to admit he was disappointed as well.

"But I don't wanna go."

"I know, but you have to. It's going to be dark soon and you have school in the morning. You need your rest."

"Okay." He helped her put on her jacket and backpack. He led her to the back door so no one would see her coming from his shop. Before she left, she looked up to him. "Mr. Gold?"

"Yes?" She hesitated for a moment.

"Is...is it okay if I come over tomorrow?" He smiled.

"Of course. You come over anytime you like." She smiled and hugged him. He hesitated, then returned the hug. She broke away from him and headed out the door.

"See you tomorrow, Mr. Gold."

"See you tomorrow, Lily."

Over the next two months, Lily went to Mr. Gold's shop everyday. It became a new routine for them. She would come over, tell him about her day at school, then go off on whatever topic she came up with while they ate dinner. It gave him comfort to know that she wasn't at home by herself and that she had a decent meal. Unfortunately, the bruises were also apart of the routine. Every few days, Lily would have a new bruise or mark on her. Each time, she would come up with an excuse from falling to bumping into things. Gold truly worried for the child's safety in that house with her mother. He knew she was behind the pain the child went through. He couldn't bear to see Lily that way. He didn't know how much longer he could keep quiet about the matter.

It was the end of the month and Gold was making his rounds collecting rent. He and Lily agreed that would be the only day she didn't visit since her mother was always home of rent day. He still left their house last on his route. When he pulled up, he noticed the front door was wide open. This wasn't unusual. Portia was known to leave it open when she stumbled home from work. When he approached the door, he heard yelling. He suddenly worried about Lily. He entered and looked for the source of the yelling. When he entered the room, he was horrified at the sight. He saw Portia mercilessly hitting Lily with the metal end of a belt. Lily screamed and cried as she tried to block the blows. Mr. Gold hurried over and grabbed Portia's wrist to stop her.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" She looked at him with anger in her eyes. He could smell the alcohol heavy on her breath.

"I'm teaching my daughter a lesson! I know she's been hanging around you, Gold! She disobeyed me!" She turned her attention back to Lily, who was still cowering in the corner. "YOU HEAR THAT, YOU LITTLE BRAT?! YOU'RE A DISOBEDIENT BASTARD CHILD WHO RUINED MY LIFE!"

"That is enough! You're drunk!" He managed to get the belt out of her hand and threw it to the ground.

"Doesn't make it not true! She's nothing but a mistake I've been stuck with! SHE DESERVES EVERYTHING THAT'S COMING TO HER!" She tried to lunge at Lily, but Gold struck her in the head with his cane, knocking her unconscious. He then went over to check on Lily.

"Lily?" She lifted her head from her knees and looked up at him. Her eyes were bloodshot from crying and one was blackened and swollen half shut. Her puffy cheeks were covered by scratch marks. She didn't look like herself. Just the previous day, he had saw her smiling and happy, her bright emerald eyes shining with wonder. The child before him was not that little girl at the moment. She cried again as she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.

"Mr. Gold!" He hugged her back and tried to comfort her.

"It's alright, sweetheart. It's over now. She can't hurt you anymore. She won't hurt you anymore." And he was going to make sure of it.


	3. Chapter 3

Mr. Gold called the sheriff and told him to also call an ambulance. Lily was badly bruised on the outside, but he wanted to make sure she didn't have any internal damage as well. She clung to him until Sheriff Graham finally showed with the ambulance. Gold explained what happened with Portia, who had come to by that point. Graham arrested her and took her down to the station while the paramedics loaded Lily into the ambulance. It was extremely difficult to tear her away from Gold because she was afraid to be without him.

"Mr. Gold..."

"It's alright, Lily. I'll be right behind the ambulance in my car. I will meet you at the hospital."

"But..."

"Don't worry. Everything will be okay. I promise." She didn't know why, but she trusted him. She let the paramedics take her to the ambulance. Gold got in his car and followed it down to the hospital. Once there, the paramedics immediately brought her to a room and had her examined. Gold was forced to wait in the waiting room until they finished. Half an hour later, Sheriff Graham arrived and approached Gold.

"Mr. Gold? I need to ask you some questions." Gold sighed in frustration. He didn't feel like dealing with the sheriff. All he wanted was to be sure that Lily was alright.

"Make it quick, Sheriff." Graham took out a pad and pen.

"Okay, well, I need to get your full statement of the events. Why were you at the Hart residence tonight?" Gold rolled his eyes.

"It's the end of the month. I was collecting rent. The Hart residence is the last stop on my route." Graham wrote down everything.

"Okay. And what prompted you to enter the house?"

"When I arrived, the door was wide open. Ms. Hart has been known to do so when she stumbles home intoxicated. When I approached the house, I heard yelling and screaming. Naturally, I went in to see what was going on."

"And when you entered the house, you saw Ms. Hart hurting the child?" Gold gritted his teeth as he recalled the horrifying scene. Lily was being beaten senseless by her cold-hearted drunk of a mother. He recalled the bruises and scars and the tears and the cries of pain. He could kill the woman for doing such a terrible thing to a child.

"Yes. I was able to stop her before she did anything more."

"By beating her with your cane?" He wished he had beat her. He would've beat her worse than she beat Lily. If he had his way, the woman would suffer so much, she would wish she had never been born.

"I did not beat her. I simply hit her once with my cane. In defense of the child, of course." Graham continued writing on his pad.

"Do you have any prior relationship with the child before tonight?" Gold wanted to lie and tell him that he hadn't known much of the child, but he couldn't deny it. Graham witness how Lily was with him. She knew who he was and she wanted him to protect her. She obvious she had ties to him.

"Yes, I do."

"Care to elaborate?" He sighed.

"About two months ago, I went to that house to collect rent as I did every month. The girl happened to be outside that day. We had a brief conversation, I collected the rent, and I went about my business. A week later, the child wandered into my shop, claiming she wished to stay and talk."

"And what happened after that?"

"We talked. She's a very imaginative child, she had a lot of talk about. We talked, I fed her, and she went home. Same routine everyday since. Nothing more." Graham wrote down his statement, with a bunch of questions rattling in his mind. He knew it probably wasn't a good idea to ask most of them, so he decided to ask the safest one.

"No offensive, Mr. Gold, but why would she voluntarily come to see you everyday?" Gold still pondered that himself. The child had only met him once and had a short conversation with him before she decided she wanted to see him so much. She automatically assumed he was a nice man. She couldn't be more wrong, he thought, but she won't know that anytime soon. He gave the sheriff a smirk.

"I suppose that's something you'll need to ask the child." Dr. Whale approached the two men.

"Sheriff. Mr. Gold." Gold turned to the doctor.

"What's Lily's condition?"

"Honestly, I'm surprised this child is still up and about. I took some X-rays and found multiple fractures and breaks in her arms, legs, and ribs dating back to her infancy. To make an educated guess, she's been getting beaten since she was six months old." Graham and Gold were both in shock, but Gold hid his surprise. Graham gave a heavy sigh.

"My god. Portia's been torturing this child her entire life." Whale looked to Gold.

"Mr. Gold, she's been asking for you since she arrived. She's...very insistent that she sees you." Gold could understand that. She was surrounded by people she didn't know and she was afraid. She wanted to see someone she knew. Someone she trusted. Before Gold could leave, Graham stopped him.

"Wait a minute. I need to talk to her first. Make sure your stories match up." Whale led Graham to Lily's room. Gold didn't want to wait to see Lily, but he needed to. He needed that time to calm himself. Portia Hart had been beating and torturing her own daughter since she was just a helpless baby. As a baby, she couldn't even protect herself. Even as at four, all she could do was shield some of her body from the abusive blows. That did do much either seeing where she was now. He wanted nothing more than to torture the life out of the vile woman. After a few minutes, Graham and Whale returned to the waiting room. Gold stood up and approached them.

"Well, Sheriff?"

"Your stories match up. She confirmed everything."

"Well, now that you have what you need, am I allowed to see her?" Graham and Whale looked to each other. They both still pondered why such a sweet little girl would associate herself with a man like Gold. Graham looked back to Gold.

"Yes, you can. She really wants to see you. I don't think you should keep her waiting any longer." Gold nodded in agreement. Whale led him to Lily's room. When they entered, he saw Lily lying down on the bed with an IV in her arm and bandages on her arms and face. He couldn't imagine what it could've been like for her to grow up with such an abusive and uncaring mother. The child was able to survive for four years. She was much stronger than she looked. Lily saw Gold and smiled. He couldn't help but return the smile as he made his way over to her.

"You came." He sat down in the chair beside her bed.

"I told you I would. How are you feeling?"

"Better. Dr. Whale said he gave me something that would stop the pain and I don't feel any pain. It feels funny." He chuckled.

"What do you mean funny?"

"I can't feel the pain anymore. I always feel pain. It feels...weird." Gold's face fell as he realized what she meant. She had always felt pain. She probably couldn't remember the last time she wasn't in any pain. She was able to hide it exceptionally well. He only ever saw her react to pain when she had new bruises. She was truly the strongest person he had ever met and she was only a child. A child who did nothing to deserve the life she had. She would no longer have that life and she would never have that life again.

"Let's talk about something else. Anything else you want." She thought for a moment. He could see the wheels in her head turning, trying to figure out their next topic of discussion. She then looked at him with a serious face.

"What's gonna happen now?"

"What do you mean?"

"When I leave, am I gonna have to go back with Mommy?" A chill ran down his spine. He wouldn't dare allow anyone to put her back with that woman. She would be locked up for the rest of her life if he had anything to say about it.

"No, sweetheart. Your mommy is going away for a long time. You won't be with her anymore."

"Then, where do I go? Mommy said I don't have a daddy anymore."

"Well, when I child is taken out of their parents home, they get put in the foster system. You get sent to a home with other children who were taken from their parents. In most cases, the children get adopted into another family. The family will love and care for the child as if they were their own."

"But...I don't wanna go to the foster system. Can't I stay with you?" Gold was shocked at this. Lily stay with him? He had never thought about taking her in. Of course, he would offer her help with anything she needed, but adopting her? That was a different story. He wasn't exactly the father type. He had never had children before. Over the past two months, he had taken care of her better than her own mother did in four years. He had grown to care for, even love, the girl. Was he prepared to take on that responsibility on a 24/7 basis? Was he prepared to take Lily in as his daughter?

"Lily, dear, why do you want to come stay with me?"

"Because you're nice to me. You care about me. You don't hurt me. And..." She hesitated.

"And what? You can tell me." Her emerald eyes met his chocolate brown ones.

"Because...I never had a daddy and...I think of you...as my daddy." Gold was touched. People had always thought of him as cruel, relentless, heartless, evil. No one had ever spoken kindly of him before. And as her daddy, that took the cake. He couldn't just leave her to another family that might mistreat her. The foster system wasn't as kind as people thought. Many times, children get taken out of bad situations and put into worse ones. Some of those children even ended up dead. He couldn't take the chance of that happening to Lily.

"Is that really what you want, Lily? Do you want me to adopt you?" She didn't miss a beat.

"Yes."

 

It had taken months to get the adoption to go through once the case against Portia was over. Gold was able to use his influence to pull some strings and was finally able to adopt and take home his new daughter. Gold remembered it all. He couldn't believe she was given such a traumatizing back story. Of course, none of it really happened, but Rose, a.k.a. Lily, thought it did. That was the life she thought she lived. She didn't remember the life of comfort and love she had back in the Enchanted Forest. She only remembered the pain and suffering of a fake life. No child should ever have that sort of life.

After recalling the false memories, Gold looked to his watch and saw that it was nearly 3:00. Lily would be let out of school soon. He didn't realize so much time had passed. He grabbed his keys and made his way out. He locked up the shop and went to his car. When he arrived at the school, he saw Lily on the playground with the other kids. She was laughing and having fun. He was glad to see her that way. After the life she thought she had, joy and happiness was something she deserved. He got out of the car and made his way over to the gate. The teacher supervising the children saw Gold approaching and quickly made her way onto the playground with Lily's backpack in hand.

"Lily, your father's here." Lily looked over and smiled as she saw her daddy. The teacher helped her put on the backpack and walked her to the gate. The teacher opened the gate and let Lily out. Gold held out his hand to the child and she happily took it.

"How was your day, flower?"

"It was so much fun!" She began rambling about her day as he helped her into the car. Once she was buckled in, he left the school and headed to the shop. While at a red light, he started thinking. This was the first time he got to spend time with his daughter without bars to separate them. He wanted to spend every moment focusing on her, not some business that no one ever really goes in to. He looked in his rear-view mirror at her.

"Lily, darling?"

"Yes, Daddy?"

"How about, instead of going back to the shop, we go home and put on a movie? How does that sounds?" He saw her bright smile that he adored so much.

"Yay! Can I pick the movie?" He smiled.

"Of course."

"Yay!" He went past the pawn shop and went straight home. He pulled up to the large pink Victorian style house minutes later. He unbuckled Lily from her car seat and they both went inside. Lily left her backpack, jacket, and shoes by the door. Gold removed his overcoat and hung it on the coat rack.

"Alright, flower. I'm going upstairs for a moment. Why don't you pick out the movie?"

"Okay, Daddy." She ran to the living room and scanned through the VHS tapes. He made his way up the stairs to his bedroom. He removed his suit jacket, vest, and cufflinks. He slowly removed his shoes, careful of his broken ankle. He exchanged them for a pair of soft slippers. He then made his way back downstairs to find Lily sitting on the sofa with a bowl of cut up strawberries. He smiled as he saw his daughter still loved strawberries. He almost asked where she got them before he remembered that he cut them up the night before for her afternoon snack. He forgot to grab them and put them in the mini-fridge at the shop. It was a good thing he did. He sat next to Lily and she immediately snuggled up next to him. He wrapped an arm around her and held her close.

"So, what movie did you choose?"

"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." A movie about Snow White? From he knew of the princess from the Enchanted Forest, the movie ought to be interesting.


	4. Chapter 4

Once the movie was over, Rumple was in disbelief of how it portrayed the princess. She was nowhere near as sweet and innocent as the raven-haired maiden in the film. She may have talked to tiny woodland creatures on occasion, but she definitely didn't sing. Prince Charming was barely in the movie and yet he was her true love. And the evil queen was nowhere near as evil as Regina. All she did was trick the princess into eating a poison apple. Regina did so much more and for a completely different reason. She didn't care about being fairest of them all. She wanted revenge for her late fiance, Daniel. He could see why the movie would be portrayed in such a way. What really happened wasn't completely kid friendly. A child shouldn't watch a movie that involved curses, violence, and cold blooded murder of innocent people. All in all, the movie wasn't half bad. A bit cliche, but enjoyable.

After they finished the movie, it was nearly dinnertime. Gold got up and went to the kitchen to cook. Lily was right behind him, offering her help. He smiled, seeing that the only thing that changed about his little flower was her name. She still acted the same. She still loved all the same things. She still wanted to help. He still questioned why she was still with him. Regina would never allow such a thing, so why did it happen? He thought back to right before the curse. Rose was at his cell. She was scared and upset. The last thing she said to him was that she wanted to be with him, then the curse hit. He briefly remembered a glow from Rose's locket. Could that have been it? Did she make it so they could be together? Her magic was powerful enough to do so. It was the last thing she was thinking of before the curse and her magic must have reacted to her wish. It was the only logical explanation.

"Daddy?" He was pulled from his thoughts and turned his attention to her.

"Yes, Lily?"

"You were making a weird face again." He chuckled.

"Sorry. I was lost in thought. Nothing to worry yourself about." She gave him a suspicious look, but said nothing and continued squishing around in a bowl of ground meat. When everything was finished, they sat down to a spaghetti and meatballs dinner. Lily went on to talk about the movie that she had probably watched hundreds of times before, but he listened and responded. He loved her random topics and conversations. Seeing the world through a child's eyes was the most precious thing to him and he loved hearing his daughter speak of such things. He encouraged her to speak her mind about any and everything. She wouldn't be a child forever, so he enjoyed it while it would last. Thanks to the curse, that time got extended twenty-eight years. After they finished eating, they cleaned up the kitchen together. By the time they were done, it was nearly Lily's bedtime. Gold gave Lily her bath and tucked her in.

"Daddy, can you read me a bedtime story?" Gold thought the request odd. Rose had always loved reading and her storybooks, but bedtime stories wasn't something they usually did. He would get used to it eventually.

"Of course, sweetheart." He went over to the bookcase. It was fully of fairy tales and other children's books. Most of them were based on people from the Enchanted Forest. Hansel and Gretel, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, Alice in Wonderland, and many others. He even saw one titled Rumpelstiltskin. He wondered how he was portrayed in this world and would read it later. "Which one would you like to hear tonight?"

"Can you read Beauty and the Beast? It's my favorite." He found the book and pulled it from the shelf. Why was it her favorite? He would soon find out. He pulled a chair up next to her bed and sat down in it. He opened the book and began to read.

"Once upon a time in a faraway land, a young prince lived in a shining castle. Although he had everything his heart desired, he was selfish and unkind.

"One winter's night, an enchantress came to the castle disguised as an old beggar woman. She offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the cold. But the prince sneered at her gift, and turned her away.

"So the enchantress transformed him into a hideous beast, and transformed all his servants into household objects. The spell would be broken only if the Beast could learn to love, and earn someone's love in return before the last petal fell from the enchanted rose.

"Ashamed of his ugliness, the Beast locked himself away in his castle. An enchanted mirror was his only window to the outside world.

"As the years passed, he lost all hope. For who could ever love a beast?"

Gold was intrigued by the story so far, but it also a bit dark. Why would Lily love such a story? An enchantress turned a man into a hideous beast and he locked himself away from the world. He had no hope that anyone could love him. Rumple could relate to that. He was a beast himself back in the Enchanted Forest. A beast that no one could possibly love. He continued to read.

"Not far from the castle, in a small village, lived a beautiful girl named..." Gold stopped in his tracks. Belle. Could it possibly be his Belle? The very woman that was able to love him despite his flaws? Was this their story? The story already had it's differences, but there were also similarities. His curse, his beast-like appearance, his beautiful Belle.

"Daddy? Are you okay?" He then remembered where he was, what he was doing, and that he had stopped. He was reading his daughter a bedtime story.

"Yes, sweetheart. Just...lost my place." He continued reading.

"Not far from the castle, in a small village, lived a beautiful girl named Belle. Belle loved to read tales of far-off places, magic spells, and princes in disguise. She yearned for excitement in her life, and for someone with whom to share it.

"That someone was definitely not the handsome Gaston, who had announced his intention to marry Belle because she was the most beautiful girl in the village. Belle considered Gaston self-centered and arrogant. Besides, she had other plans."

Gold continued to read the story to Lily. He read about Belle being forced to stay at the beast's castle. He read about the talking household objects that were the servants of the castle. He read about how Belle learned of the beast's curse and his anger at her. He read about how they finally were able to compromise and get along with each other. He read about how they fell in love. He read the fight between the Beast and Gaston and that Belle confessed her love for the Beast and broke his curse. Gold quickly realized it was their story. The details weren't the same, but it was them. He forced Belle to stay with him forever and grew angry with her a lot. They did fall in love, but the ending wasn't as happy. He read on.

"Belle rushed into the prince's arms. As they kissed, magic filled the air. Soon Lumiere, Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts and Chip, and all the other enchanted objects were transformed back into their human forms.

"That night, the castle was filled with love as Belle and the prince danced and danced, barely able to take their eyes off each other. And the castle was once again filled with life."

Gold closed the book and looked over to Lily, who smiled at him.

"I love that story."

"So you say. Would you mind telling me why? Why is it your favorite?"

"Because of Belle. She knew the beast could be nice. No one else thought so, but she did. I thinks mean people can be good and I do too." He didn't expect such an answer from her. She had always been an intelligent and enlightened child, but she was still just a child. He almost expected her to say she liked the talking objects or the magic or even just the character of Belle. She was able to find the deeper meaning of the story.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. People think you're mean, but I know you can be really nice. It's kinda the same thing." He couldn't help but smile. She only got smarter, brighter, and sweeter everyday. Even with the life she thought she had, she was still able to find the bright side of any situation. Most kids would've been angry and bitter, never able to make themselves happy. They would blame their problems on their parents. She was nothing like that. She allowed herself happiness with someone who would love her and care for her. She kept her hope and accepted her new life.

"I suppose it is, flower. Well, time for bed."

"Okay. Goodnight, Daddy." He smiled and kissed her forehead.

"Goodnight, Lily." He stood from the chair and returned the book to it's place on the shelf. He then quietly left the room and closed the door. He made his way down the hall to his bedroom. He couldn't stop thinking about the story he just read to his daughter. Despite the differences, it was clear that it was about him and Belle. It was their story, but it ended very differently. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that Belle wasn't there with them. Even in his false memories, he couldn't recall ever seeing her. He remembered her father Maurice, who was Moe French, owner of Game of Thorns, in Storybrooke. He even remembers that imbecile Gaston, who was George Aston who worked with Moe. Where was Belle? She had to have come over with the curse. He refused to think that she was dead. She was with her father in Avolonea when the curse hit. She had to be somewhere in Storybrooke, but where? Where could she possibly be?

 

Beneath the hospital, there is a secret asylum for the mentally ill. In one of the rooms sat a young woman with long brown hair and bright blue eyes. She had no name, no family, no memories. She didn't know how long she had been there. She didn't know who put her there. She didn't know why she was there. She didn't think herself as insane. She didn't know if she would ever get out. The only person who came to her cell was the nurse who gave her medicine and food. No one ever visited her, except one. Every now and then, someone would come to her cell. A woman with short brown hair and brown eyes. She didn't know who the woman was or why she visited her. The woman never spoke to her. She only looked in through the window on the door. Sometimes she would wear a smile on her ruby red lips that unsettled the young woman.

The young woman with no name spent her days sitting in the cell with her thoughts. She tried to recall her life before the asylum, but she got nothing. Her mind was a blank slate. She had to have had a life. Someone had to know she existed. Someone must know who she was. Did she have a family? A father and mother? Any brothers or sisters? Did she have friends? Perhaps a boyfriend or husband. She must have had someone in her life before she ended up there. The only proof she had of that was the ring on her finger and the baby growing inside of her.


	5. Chapter 5

The rest of the week was pretty much routine. Every morning, Gold would get up, ready Lily for school and himself for work, make breakfast with her help, and drove her to school and went to his shop. Not much happened in Storybrooke, but Gold didn't care. He was just happy to have his daughter in his life again. He still often wondered what happened to Belle. Storybrooke was a very small town where everyone knew everyone. Belle didn't seem to be there. He refused to believe that she was dead, but he still worried that something might have happened to her. Last he knew, she was with her father in Avolonea. Had he done something to her? His only daughter? He knew royals. He would've tried to marry her off again. After her association with him, perhaps he had her locked away somewhere. No one would have her after she'd been with him. Even that big oaf Gaston wouldn't have her if he knew what they did. He worried for her.

It was Saturday and Lily didn't have school. Gold took her to the shop with him. No one really ever came into the shop. Every now and again, someone would come trying to get an extension on their rent or try to pawn something. Only a few ever bought anything. Other than that, the shop was usually empty. Gold took that time to spend more time with Lily. She kept him occupied and entertained. She was just as creative and energetic as she was in the Enchanted Forest. She was even able to brighten other people's day. The few that came into the shop with nervousness or fear left the shop smiling after seeing the sweet child. Many wondered how she could be so happy and sweet with Gold as her new father. Some feared for the child. They knew how Gold was and feared he would hurt her worse than her mother ever did. He proved them wrong everyday. He was a good father. He knew it and Lily knew it. That was all that mattered.

"Daddy! Look what I found!" She ran from the back over to him with a black velvet box in her hands.

"What do you have there, flower?" She handed him the box.

"It's a box. I think something's inside."

"Why didn't you open it?"

"Because you said some things in here can break easily. I didn't wanna break it." He chuckled. Since when was she so careful? He handed her the box back.

"Open it. It won't break. Let's see what's inside." She slowly opened the box and gasped. Gold smiled and chuckled at her expression. "What is it?"

"It's a necklace." She took the necklace from the box and held it up. Gold's eyes widened as he recognized the necklace. It was a pink heart-shaped locket with a gold lace. It was Rose's locket that he made for her. It was the same locket that hid the Dark One's Dagger. It was also the locket that gave Rose her magic. He noticed he hadn't seen it since the curse was cast. How was it separated from her? It could only be removed by Rose herself and she wore it up until the curse.

"Would you like to have it?" She smiled up at him.

"Can I?" He took the necklace and gestured for her to turned around. She did and he clasped it around her neck.

"You know, there's a story behind this necklace." She turned back to him.

"Really?"

"Yes. Would you like to hear it?"

"Yes." He smiled.

"Well, once upon a time, there lived a very powerful king. He had great magical powers and many people feared him. Many thought him as a beast. And that's just how he liked it, but the king felt unhappy. He was very lonely. One night, he took a walk through the woods to clear his mind. He then heard a sound. It sounded like crying. He went in search of it and found a basket near a tree. Inside the basket was a tiny baby. He didn't see any signs of her parents anywhere. He knew he couldn't leave her, so he took her back to his castle. He cleaned her, clothed her, and fed her. The king felt happy with the child and kept her as his daughter. He named the child Rose."

"Rose? That's a pretty name." He smiled.

"It is. Over the next few years, the king raised Rose as his own. The kingdom knew nothing of the new princess. He kept her a secret in fear that someone would try to take her from him. He wanted to protect her and keep her safe. On the child's fifth birthday, the king constructed a locket that contained the most powerful magic in existence, True Love. With it, she would always be protected from any harm as long as she had love in her heart. The child loved more than anyone else for she was able to love the beastly king. Her love was strong enough for the magic in the locket to last for centuries. It is said that if you wear this locket, you and your loved ones will always be protected." She looked down at her new locket.

"So, it's like good luck?"

"More powerful than luck. Love. You, just like Rose, have more love in your heart than anyone else. Your love will make the magic in the locket even stronger." Lily was in aw. She had always heard of magic in her stories, but she never knew anyone them to be true. Could the locket truly be magical?

"Is this really magic? Or is it just a story?" It wasn't a story. It was real. Though the story was tweaked, it was still true. He did find her as a baby and took her in. He raised her as his daughter. She did love him when no one else did. He gave her the locket to protect her from harm. There was a chance the locket's magic still worked. It was made from True Love. It could've survived the curse. He couldn't be sure at that point. He simply smiled.

"Stories are as true as you make them. If you don't believe it, then you don't. If you do, it's up to you want you take from it." She didn't fully understand what he meant, but part of her believed the story was real. She couldn't really explain it, but something told her the story was true. It felt somewhat familiar. Before she could question it any further, the bell above the door of the shop rang. Gold sighed as he saw Regina enter the shop. In Storybrooke, she was the mayor. She also had her old memories since she cast the curse.

"I'm not happy."

"I believe Dr. Hopper's office is down the street."

"I don't want to talk to him. I want to talk to you." She then noticed Lily standing behind the counter behind him. "Privately."

"Of course. Lily, sweetheart, why don't go in the back and watch some television while Ms. Mills and I talk."

"Okay, Daddy." She went to the back and closed the curtain behind her. Lily was curious about what Gold and the mayor wanted to talk about. She knew that if people had problems, they would come to him to try to deal. She wondered what the mayor wanted from him. She turned on the small TV so Gold would think she was watching it and listened in at the curtain. Once Gold heard the TV turn on, he returned his attention to Regina.

"Now, Madame Mayor, what would you like to talk about?"

"This town. This isn't the deal we made." Naturally, he knew exactly what she was talking about. She wasn't happy with her new life. It wasn't the revenge she planned. He didn't want her to know that he still had his memories.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what you're talking about." She looked at him for a moment and she thought she saw true ignorance. He didn't remember.

"You don't do you?" Lily didn't know either. Mayor Mills made a deal with her father, yet he doesn't know what she was referring to. It was odd. She had been with him long enough to know he didn't forget things easily, especially deals. "I was suppose to be happy here."

"Forgive me, but you're the mayor. You're the most powerful woman in the town. What is it to be unhappy about?"

"Everyone in this town does exactly what I want them to." Lily was even more confused. Was that a bad thing? If people did what you wanted them to, wouldn't that be good? People listening to you and doing what you want. What was there to be unhappy about?

"And that's a problem?"

"Well, they do it because they have to. Not because they want to. It's not real." Why wasn't it real? She was the mayor. People were supposed to do what she wanted them to. Wasn't that a good thing about being mayor?

"I'm sorry. What exactly is it that you want?"

"Nothing you can give me." After a moment, Lily heard the bell ring. The mayor left. Why would the mayor come to her father if he couldn't give her what she wanted? It didn't make sense. Lily moved away from the curtain before Gold realized she had been listening.

 

Later that night, Gold closed up the shop early. He and Lily decided to pick up dinner from Granny's Diner and watch a movie at home. That night, Lily wanted to watch Peter Pan. Gold was skeptical about it. He knew about the real Peter Pan. The real Peter Pan was his father. His father abandoned him. His father was a coward. His father, at one point, tried to take his son from him and turned him against him. Lily didn't know any of that. Even Rose didn't know that. She never came into contact with him and Rumple was glad for that. The last thing he wanted was to burden his daughter with that information. He watched the movie and laughed at the comical inaccuracy, especially of Captain Hook. He also knew the real captain and he was nothing like the long-haired, bumbling idiot in the movie. Whoever Walt Disney was really knew how to kid proof stories.

After the movie, Lily had her bath and Gold put her to bed. She didn't ask for a bedtime story that night. Gold thought it odd. She had asked for a story every night. He wondered why she didn't want a story, but didn't say anything. He kissed her forehead and told her goodnight. A few hours later, she woke up and looked over at the clock on her nightstand. It was one in the morning. She was sure Gold would be asleep. She climbed out of bed and went to her closet. She slipped on a pair of leggings and shoes. She then grabbed a jacket and her backpack. She quietly left her room and went over to Gold's. She peeked in and saw that he was sound asleep. She then quietly made her way down the stairs and out the back door.

She made her way down to the main square of town. She looked up at the clock tower over the library. The library had been closed for as long as she could remember and the clock never moved. It always read 8:14. She continued her way down to the hospital. With it being very late, there weren't a lot of people there. There were only a few nurses here and there. The nurse at the front desk was passed out sleeping. Lily walked past the desk to the door with a keypad. Using the wheelchair near the door, she climbed up and put in the code to answer the door. Once she heard it unlock, she got down from the chair and opened the door. Closing the door behind her, she descended the stairs. There was another desk with another nurse, who was actually awake. Lily approached the desk with a smile.

"Hi, Nurse Nancy." The nurse gave her a small smile.

"Hello, Lily. Gold still doesn't know you're coming here?"

"I don't think so." She reached into her backpack and pulled out a container. "I brought you some brownies from Granny's."

"Double fudge with caramel?"

"Your favorite." The nurse took the container.

"And that's why you're my favorite." Lily smiled again. She then frowned remembering why she was there in the first place.

"How is she?" Nancy took a bite of a brownie.

"Same as she was last time you visited. Had to sedate her. She's awake, but she still can't move. You got fifteen minutes."

"Okay." Nancy gave her the keys to the cells. Lily took them and went down the hall. She waved to the man with the long black hair who was always mopping. She tried to talk to him, but never responded. He just stared at her. She stopped trying to talk to him, but still greeted him when she came down. As she made her way down the hall, she felt something odd when she passed by the second door. She didn't know why. Many times she had passed by that door and never once had that feeling. She brushed it off and went to the third door. She unlocked it and went inside. Sitting on the bed, she saw a woman leaning against the wall. The woman's eyes shifted to the door and saw the young child and groaned.

"You again?" Lily went over and climbed up on the bed, sitting next to her.

"Hi, Mommy." Portia groaned again and rolled her eyes.

"Stop calling me that, you little brat! I'm not your mommy anymore. I don't even know why you still come down here."

"Because I want to see you. I want to see if you're okay."

"I'd be better if you didn't bother me every month. I don't need your company." Lily still loved her mother. Despite everything the woman did to her, she was still her mother. She may not have been much of one, but she was the only mother Lily had. She still wanted her to be apart of her life. She reached in her backpack and pulled out a hair brush. She then started to brush out her long black hair. Since she'd been locked away, it had gotten straighter, making it easier for Lily to brush it out.

"I don't want you to be by yourself. I still love you."

"Well, I never loved you. In fact, I never wanted to have you. If I had found out I was pregnant earlier, I would've got an abortion." Lily had heard it all before. Her mother had always hated her. She didn't understand why she kept her if she didn't want her. Lily had always thought if she loved her mother and been nice to her, she would return her love. It hasn't worked so far, but Lily isn't one to give up easily. She still believed there was a good woman in her mother.

"I found a locket today in Daddy's shop. He said I could have it." She showed her the locket. Portia rolled her eyes.

"Why do I care what your new daddy gives you? I still don't understand why he wanted you. You're nothing but a worthless little runt." Lily said nothing. There was nothing she could say. Her mother had always tried to hurt her. Not only physically, but mentally and emotionally. Her entire life she tried to make her feel worthless and was a waste of space. Being with Gold taught her that none of that was true. Gold loved her and gave her everything. He had erased the pain of her past. She only visited Portia because she still cared for the cold woman. She finished brushing her hair and put the brush back in her bag.

"I fixed your hair, but Nurse Nancy said I can't bring anything to put in it anymore. Sorry."

"I don't care. If it gets you out of here quicker, fine." Lily sighed and kissed her cheek.

"Bye, Mommy. See you next month." Portia said nothing. Lily jumped from the bed and left the room, locking it behind her. As she made her way back down the hall, she had that same odd feeling in front of the door again. The first time she thought it was nothing, but she felt it again a second time. She was tempted to open the door and see who was there. She had the keys to all of the rooms in her hands, but she wouldn't dare. One of the conditions with Nurse Nancy was that Lily couldn't go into any other room than her mother's. She fought her curiosity and went back to the desk. She gave Nancy back the keys.

"Not much change, huh?"

"No." Nancy saw the sadness in the child's eyes and she softened.

"You know, you don't have to keep coming down here. She's just going to do and say the same things she always does to you. Why do you keep visiting her?" Lily often asked herself the same. Her mother never did anything for her besides give birth to her. She had been mean and cruel since she was born. Why does she come back every month?

"Because...she's my mommy. She's the only mommy I have."

"Personally, I think you're better off without her." Lily simply gave her a small smile.

"See you next month, Nurse Nancy."

"See you next month, Lily." She turned to leave, but a question kept poking at the back of her mind.

"Nurse Nancy?"

"Yeah?"

"Is there someone in that room next to my mommy's?" She straightened up.

"No. Why do you ask?" If no one was there, why did she have a funny feeling when she passed by both times? Maybe it was nothing. Maybe she was just tired. It was almost two o'clock in the morning. She needed to get home and get some sleep.

"Nevermind. Bye." She went back up the stairs and headed home.


	6. Chapter 6

It's been a month living in Storybrooke and things were almost exactly the same each day. That was apart of the curse. Time was frozen. No one had any memory of their past live except Regina and Gold. Gold didn't really care. He would have to live there for the next twenty-eight years, but as long as he had Lily, he was happy. Over the next month, Gold had seen a good bit of some of people's counterparts. He saw Snow White was now Mary-Margaret Blanchard, a second grade teacher. Jiminy Cricket was Dr. Archibald Hopper, the town shrink. All of the fairies were nuns. Dr. Frankenstein was Dr. Whale, one of the head doctors at the hospital. In his memories, Whale was the doctor that helped Lily. He recognized most of the people of Storybrooke. He did wonder where Prince Charming was. He didn't seem to be anywhere in town. He didn't think much on it. Charming wasn't a priority.

Over the past month, Gold mostly enjoyed being a dad. Lily was his number one priority. He gave her anything she asked for within reason. Her wants were almost exactly the same as when she was Rose. All she wanted was to be with him and spend time with him. In this new land, he could do that. He didn't have to hide her anymore. Everyone knew about her. If he wanted to take off a day to be with her, he could and people would know why. It would be one of those days. Gold woke up that morning as he always did. He went to Lily's room to wake her up and ready her for school.

"Lily, sweetheart. Time to get up." She groaned and moaned.

"I don't feel good." She coughed and hacked. Gold's eyes widened in worry.

"Flower, what's wrong?" She coughed again.

"My...*cough*... throat hurts." He felt her forehead and cheek.

"You're burning up with a fever." She was sick. She never got sick. In the Enchanted Forest, she was always healthy and happy. After she got a sore throat once as a baby, he gave her a potion that would keep her from getting sick. If she ever got sick, he wouldn't always have the time to care for her. Unfortunately, he didn't have any magic at his disposal and it had been years since he cared for a sick child. Baelfire didn't get sick often, but when he did, he cared for him the best he could.

"Daddy...I'm cold." He could she her shiver under her comforter. She was in no condition to go anywhere. He gently stroked her head.

"I'll get you another blanket, flower. Just stay in bed." She didn't need to be told twice. She could move if she wanted to. He left in search of a warmer blanket. He found on in the hallway closet. He gave her the blanket and went to the kitchen to make her some soup. He also made a call to Dove to pick up some supplies from the store. He brought Lily the chicken noodle soup along with a cup of orange juice. Dove would later arrive with some medicine.

While she ate, he put on one of her movies. She asked to put on Sleeping Beauty. Gold didn't know much about Princess Aurora. He knew Maleficient cursed her as a baby to an eternal sleep and she could only been woken by True Love's first kiss. She and Regina think too much alike. He didn't know what happened to the princess after that. After the movie was over and Lily finished her soup, she was tired. The medicine he gave her made her drowsy and he stayed with her and read to her as he waited for her to fall asleep.

"Daddy?"

"Yes, flower?"

"Did you...want me?" He was confused by the question. Why was she asking that?

"What do you mean, flower?"

"If I...didn't ask you...to adopt me,...would you still...adopt me?" He grew even more puzzled by this. Why did she ask such things of him? She was much too young wonder about such things.

"Of course I would've. Why are you asking me this?" She hesitated for a moment. She had been thinking about it for a while. While visiting her mother, she was reminded that he adopted her for no particular reason. They had only known of each other for two months. It wasn't much time to really known each other. She loved being with him. He had been the best father to her, but she still wondered why he wanted her in the first place.

"I was just asking." He knew there was much more to that. She wouldn't just ask that just to be asking. Was she having doubts about his love and care for her? Did she think he only adopted her because she asked him to? Of course, with their false memories, it would seem that was the only reason. She didn't remember that last five years of her life in the Enchanted Forest. She didn't remember him raising her from a baby. He loved her so much more than she realized.

"Listen to me, Lily. When I decided to adopt you, only a small part of it was because you asked me. The main reason I adopted you was because I care about you. I didn't want you to possibly end up with someone worse than your mother. Granted, I didn't think much of you when we first met. You were just a child of one of my tenants, but I soon learned there was much more to you. The two months went spent together were the best two months of my life. I know get to have those months forever. Adopting you was the best decision I've ever made in my life. You brought light into my life and you have no idea how much that means to me. I had been very unhappy and very lonely for the longest time. Bringing you into my life changed all of that and I wouldn't change a thing." He meant every word of it. She was the only happiness he had in his life, both in the Enchanted Forest and in Storybrooke.

"So, you're...like the king."

"The king?"

"From that story...about my locket. The lonely king. He was unhappy...until..."

"Until he found his little princess. And you are that princess, Lily."

"I...made you...happy?" He smiled and kissed her head.

"Yes, and you continue to do so each and every day. I love you, my flower."

"I love you...too...Dadd..." She drifted off to sleep. Gold still wondered why she asked about adopting her. Why would she question his motives for taking her in? Did she believe that he couldn't want her? With her memories of Portia over the span of her lifetime, who knows what kind of psychological damage the woman caused the poor child. Was she truly with him or did she fear he would turn out like her? He would never. He could never. Maybe he wasn't doing a good enough job. Maybe she was having second thoughts about him. Why was he suddenly doubting himself? He had raised Rose from birth the exact same way and she was happy. He then remembered she wasn't Rose anymore. She was Lily. Lily didn't have the same life as Rose. Rose had a life of luxury with a loving father. Lily lived with an abusive mother and barely survived each day. Maybe he had been going about things all wrong.

Gold carefully slipped from Lily's bed and quietly left the room. He went to his bedroom and dressed himself. He also called Dove to come and keep an eye on Lily. Once Dove got there, Gold headed out. As much as he didn't want to, he needed a second opinion. He needed know what to do. He got in his car and drove into town. He parked and entered the building. He knocked on the door at the end of the hall. Moments later, the door opened and revealed a familiar red-headed man with glasses.

"Oh, Mr. Gold. I...I didn't expect you. Is the rent late?"

"No, Hopper. I came to talk." The therapist was in shock and surprise. Gold had always been a very private man. Archie figured he must really be desperate if he came to talk.

"Oh. Of course. Come on in." Gold entered the office and sat on the couch. Archie's dalmatian Pongo sat in the corner on his bed. The dog reminded Gold of a certain witch who would love to get her hands on his fur. He wasn't there about that woman. He was here about Lily. Archie sat in his chair. "So, uh, Mr. Gold. What would you like to talk about?"

"It's...about my daughter. Lily."

"Yes. You adopted her sometime last year I believe."

"Yes. I did."

"Okay. Well, what seems to be the problem?" Gold didn't know where to start. He couldn't exactly tell him about Rose and their past lives. He needed to choose his words carefully.

"Today, she asked me why I adopted her. More specifically, she asked why I wanted her. Why would she ask that?" Archie took this in and analyzed the situation. Everyone in Storybrooke knew about what happened when Portia was arrested.

"Well, it is normal for her to wonder such things. Her entire life, she lived with a mother who...didn't love her, didn't care about her, physically abused her, and made her feel unwanted. While I don't know exactly what happened with her, her mother might have forcefully drilled into Lily's mind that she was worthless and that no one would want her."

"But I do want her. I care for her and I love her. She knows that. Why would she think otherwise?"

"Perhaps that's just her mentality. Maybe she feels that no one can love her because that's what her mother made her believe. When a child is taught at a very young age, it will stay with them for a very long time. As time goes on, they may start to see things different, but it will take some time before they decide for themselves which is the right or wrong way. While with you, she's living very differently. She sees you being kind to her and caring for her and it's new for her. Perhaps she fears that none of it is real or that it won't last too long. Maybe she thinks that one day, you'll wake up and think taking her in was a big mistake and she'll be brought back to her mother."

"That won't happen. I will not allow that to happen."

"It's not me you need to convince of that." Gold thought for a moment. Lily was afraid she wasn't worthy of being loved? He wished he had killed Portia. Even if everything was only false memories, Lily didn't know that. No one knew. That was all she knew.

"So what do I do?"

"Exactly what you've been doing. Love her. Care for her. Show her that she is wanted and that she is worthy of it. You plant that seed and help it grow. In time, she'll start to see that everything her mother ever told her was a lie. She won't have to question it anymore because you showed her she could be loved."

"And what if that doesn't work? What if she always thinks what her mother told her was true?"

"You continue to love her. This won't happen overnight. It's a process. She just needs time. Both of you do. Things will work themselves out."

"I see." Gold felt a little more at ease. All he needed to do was love and care for Lily just as he did Rose. He did exactly that since day one. He feared that things would be the same for the next twenty-eight years. He also had faith things would get better. Even with the never changing time, Lily changed everyday. Each day was different with her. Maybe things would get better. He had to believe they would.

"And if things don't seem to be changing, you can always bring her here if you think she needs to talk."

"I'll keep that in mind." Gold stood from the couch and Archie stood from his chair. "I trust you won't breathe a word of this to anyone, Dr. Hopper."

"Of course not, sir. I am obligated to keep everything here confidential."

"Good." He turned to leave. "And Hopper."

"Yes, Mr. Gold?"

"Consider this month's rent forgiven." Archie was in shock. Gold never let anyone skip out on rent.

"Oh...Thank you, sir."

"Don't get used to it. You still owe next month's." He then left and returned home. Dove informed him that Lily had been asleep the entire time. Gold then gave Dove the rest of the day off. He went to check on her and saw she was still sound asleep. Hopefully, she wouldn't be sick for much longer. Once she felt better, he would show her just how much he truly cared for her and loved her. He was able to make Rose happy before. Lily still had some Rose in her and he just how to reach her.


	7. Chapter 7

Lily got over her illness within a few days and was back in school. Gold cared for her each day until she was well. He had Dove keep an eye on the shop in his absence. Now that Lily was feeling better, Gold was able to do what he had planned. After seeing Dr. Hopper about Lily, he decided he needed to try to reach out to the Rose inside of her. They were the same in many aspects, yet different. They still had many things in common. One being that Lily still loved playing outside and loved nature. Unfortunately, she didn't have her garden anymore. Rose would spend most of her time out in the gardens and orchards. Lily didn't have that luxury and that needed to be rectified. He had a lot of land around his house that he did nothing with. It would make a splendid garden. That Saturday morning, he went to wake her as he did every morning.

"Lily. Wake up, flower." After stirring a bit, she moaned and groaned.

"I don't wanna go to school, Daddy." He chuckled.

"It's Saturday, sweetheart. And you should get up if you want to hear what I have in store for today." He smiled as she opened one of her eyes.

"What?"

"What would you say...if I said we were going to start a garden?" She lifted her head and smiled.

"A garden?"

"Yes. We have a large backyard. Plenty of room for any flowers you want to plant. You can do whatever you wish with them. What do you say?" Her smile widened.

"What about fruit?" He chuckled.

"We'll start with the flowers. Then we'll see about fruit."

"Okay."

"Good. After breakfast, we'll stop by the flower shop to pick out the ones you like."

"Yay!" They both got dressed and went down to cook breakfast. After they ate, they first went to the pawn shop to pick up a few things. They then headed over to Game of Thorns. Gold didn't really want to go there, but it was the only flower shop in Storybrooke. Gold grew a deep hatred for the former ruler of Avolonea and his lackey. He still thought they had something to do with Belle's disappearance. They were the last people who were with her, or at least as far as Rumple knew. He felt they were the reason Lily didn't have a mother and he didn't have his love. They pulled up to the flower shop and parked. As Gold and Lily were about to enter the shop, Archie approached them.

"Morning, Mr. Gold. Lily." Lily smiled up at him.

"Hi, Mr. Hopper. Hi, Pongo." She then proceed to pet the dog. Archie turned his attention to Gold.

"Mr. Gold, may I speak with you?"

"What about, Hopper? If you couldn't tell, I'm trying to spend some time with my daughter. Do I need to double this month's rent?"

"Oh, of course not, sir. It will only take a moment." Gold sighed and looked down to Lily.

"Lily, why don't you go ahead in and look around. I'll be just a minute."

"Okay." She went inside and Gold turned to Archie.

"What is it?"

"I just wanted to see how things have been since you came to my office. If things between you and Lily have changed at all." Why does he care, he thought. Just because he was the town shrink didn't mean he had to be involved in everyone's business. Though he wanted to comment on this, he kept it to himself.

"Things are fine. Your advice...was helpful. In fact, we are starting a garden today." Archie found this odd. Gold was never the gardening type, but he smiled knowing the reason behind it. It was all for Lily. Being a psychologist, he noticed the difference in Gold since Lily became his daughter. He wasn't the same cold-hearted beast the town saw him as. He was a loving father that would do anything for his new young daughter. He was still cruel and mean on the outside, but on the inside, he had love in his heart from the small child.

"That's...great. Gardening is actually a great bonding activity."

"Yes, and I would like to get on with my day so we may start."

"O-of course, Mr. Gold. Just wanted to check up on things. My door is always open if you, or Lily, need anything else. Have a good day, Mr. Gold." Archie then tugged Pongo along. Gold almost wished he hadn't gone to the shrink in the first place.

 

Meanwhile

Lily entered the shop and was in awe. Flowers filled the room from top to bottom. She had always seen Game of Thrones from the outside, but she had never been on the inside before. The different aromas from the flowers filled the room. Lily loved it. Soon, her own backyard would be filled with flowers. The question was which ones. She could easily just choose all of them. Gold would let her have all of them if she wanted, but she didn't want all of them. She only wanted the prettiest and best smelling ones. She saw a large array of flowers. There were sunflowers, tulips, lilies, blue bells, and more.

She saw something red out of the corner of her eye. Roses. Roses had always been her favorite flowers. She thought it was funny since her name was Lily and the rose was her favorite. Some of the roses were pink, white, yellow, and blue, but the red ones were her absolute favorite. Red was also her favorite color. It reminded her of strawberries, her favorite fruit. She saw a pot of red roses in full bloom. She thought they were the prettiest that way. She wanted hers to grow out like that. She went up to the flowers to get a closer look.

"Hey! Don't touch those!" She jumped back at the loud and familiar voice. She turned and saw a very tall muscular man with short brown hair emerging from the back of the shop. Lily knew him. His name was George. Her mother brought him by the house a lot. She never liked him. He was always mean to her and mistreated her. Never as bad as her mother, but it was still bad.

"I wasn't..."

"Hey, I remember you! You're Portia's brat!"

"I..."

"You got her locked up! You..."

"That's enough, George!" Another man came from the back. He was shorter, older, and portlier than George. He had blue eyes and wore a grey hat that covered his dirty blonde hair. Lily knew he was Moe French and he owned the shop. She would sometimes see him in his truck delivering flowers. "What do you think you're doing?"

"This little brat..." He pulled George down and whispered to him.

"That 'brat' is Gold's daughter now. If we upset her, Gold could shut us down. We're having trouble paying our debts now." George groaned in frustration as Moe went over to Lily. "I'm sorry for my associate's rude behavior. How can I help you?"

Lily was frozen in fear. George yelling at her reminded her of when she still lived with her mother. Portia cared more for George than she did for Lily. Whenever Lily did something that upset him, she would be beaten. Many times, she feared that George would hurt her. He was much larger and stronger than her mother. He could hurt her twice as bad as her mother could. The worst she ever got from him was a push. That push was the least of her problems that day.

 

Portia had George one Saturday night while Lily was supposed to be sleeping. Lily couldn't get to sleep that night. She hadn't eaten all day and her stomach was growling like crazy. She tried to ignore it, but it was too strong. After tossing and turning for what seemed like hours, she got up and went to the kitchen. Her mother and George were at the kitchen table with a bottle of wine. She went to her mother and tugged at her shirt.

"Mommy, I hungry." Portia rolled her eyes.

"Go to bed. Then you won't be." She turned back to George, but Lily persisted.

"I can't sleep. I hungry." George then turned to her.

"Look, kid. Your mother and I are busy. Go to back to bed. You'll eat in the morning." 

"You not my daddy." He stood up and grabbed her arm.

"Hey! You don't talk to me like that!" She struggled to get out of his strong grip. She hoped that her mother would do and say something, but she didn't. She just sat there and watched. Lily punched his fist and kicked her legs.

"Lemme go!" His gripped tightened and Lily could swear she heard a cracking noise from her arm. 

"You show me some respect, little girl! Go back to your room!" He threw her on the tile floor. Her hands and knees collided with the hard surface. It sent a sharp pain up her arm. Still, her mother didn't move. How could she see someone else to hurt her child right in front of her and do nothing about it? Lily started to cry. The hunger pains were forgotten and replaced with the pain of her possibly broken arm. 

"Mommy, I hurt." George groaned and turned to Portia.

"You know what, Portia? I'm gonna head home." Portia stood and grabbed his arm.

"No, don't. She'll be alright. Please stay."

"No. I gotta go in to the shop tomorrow morning, anyway. I'll see you later." He grabbed his coat and went out the door. Lily was glad he was leaving, but terrified that she was alone with her mother. Portia looked down at Lily, who was still on her knees on the ground. 

"You! You just have to ruin everything, don't you?!" Lily's first instinct was to run and she did. She ran to her room and closed the door behind her. She didn't realize her mistake until Portia bust open the door. She grabbed Lily's bad arm and started to beat her with a wire hanger. 

 

The flashback frightened her and brought tears to her eyes. She was only three at the time. It had been a long time since Lily thought about anything about living with her mother. She also didn't think about George. She never really saw much of him since she left home. Seeing him again triggered one of her worst memories. She instinctively grabbed her arm that he had almost broken. She once again had something else to fear. It wasn't just that she might be sent back to her mother anymore. Now, she feared having to deal with him. In the past, he tried to assert himself as her father figure many times. She refused to accept him as anything more than a man her mother brought home. She had a daddy now. Gold was her daddy and he was a good and kind daddy. He didn't hurt her. He wasn't mean to her. He loved her and proved his love for her everyday.

A gentle hand rested on her head. She slightly jumped and backed into someone. She looked up and saw Gold above her. She then remembered where she was and what she was doing. She was in the flower shop. She was supposed to pick out the ones she wanted for the garden she and Gold were starting. She blacked out for a moment. Gold saw the tears and fear in her eyes. He looked to the two men in the shop.

"What's going on in here? What have you done to my daughter?" Moe shook his head.

"Nothing, Mr. Gold. I was just asking what flowers she wanted." George stayed silent. Lily tried to look at him, but she could feel his cold and angry eyes peering at her. She feared him.

"Lily?" She looked up at her father's worried and questioning eyes. He wanted to know what had upset her. She shook her head. She didn't want to say. She didn't want George to have a reason to be angry with her any more. Gold knew something was wrong. She was fine before she walked into the shop and now she was afraid and upset. Something had to have happened. "Well, you seemed to have upset my daughter. Considered this month's rent doubled."

"No! Please!" This made George furious.

"You can't do that, Gold!" Lily didn't want him to do that. Moe was only trying to be kind to her. He didn't do anything wrong. George was the one that scared her. Moe shouldn't have to pay for what George did. Lily tugged on Gold's jacket and gestured for him to lean down. He did and she whispered in his ear. He then understood. For some reason, George frightened her. Whether the fear came from false memories or something in her subconscious from the Enchanted Forest, he didn't know. He stood and returned his attention to the men.

"Good news for you, Mr. French. Your rent will not be doubled after all." Moe breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Mr. Gold. I..." Gold raised his hand to stop.

"It won't be doubled as long as your associate leaves while we make our selections."

"Of course! George."

"What?!"

"Now, George!" He rolled his eyes and went to the back room. Lily felt a little better with him out of the room. She didn't have to think about him for a while. She and Gold went on to pick out flowers.


	8. Chapter 8

It had been three months since the incident at Game of Thorns. Gold had half a mind to double or triple the rent so he could close them down. He didn't know why Lily was so frightened of George, a.k.a Gaston, but he couldn't let it stand. Lily knew that Gold had a tendency to try and "punish" those who crossed him or upset her. She was the only reason most of Storybrooke was still in business. Instead of focusing on them, he focused on Lily and her new garden. In the past three months, it had been growing in well. Lily tended to it every day after school with the help of Gold. He loved seeing her happy. He knew how much Rose loved the gardens of the Dark Castle. He couldn't give her that garden, but he could give her the one she had. There were daisies, lilies, magnolias, and many others. Lily loved the roses the most. The red rose was always her favorite flower. The bright red color, the sweet scent and what it stood for; romance and love.

Lily loved almost everything and everyone, but she loved Gold the most. He wasn't her biological father, but he was still her father. He took care of her, he loved her, and he saved her. He gave her a better life away from her abusive mother. She loved him, but she couldn't understand why no one else did. She would hear kids at her school talk about how mean and scary he is. None of it was true to her. She lived with him. She knew him. He wasn't mean and scary. He was nice and gentle, at least with her. She noticed the talk about the town. People feared for her now that she was with him. They would stare and whisper to each other. She tried to ignore it, but it bothered her sometimes. Why couldn't people see how Gold really was? She would always wonder, but at the end of the day it didn't matter. She knew what he was like. She loved him and he loved her. Who cares what other people think?

It was a late and stormy night. Gold had put Lily to bed hours ago and turned in himself. Lily usually slept through the rain, but the storm outside was anything but peaceful. The wind howled, the thunder rumbled, and the lightning crashed. To make matters worse, Lily was having a nightmare. Random images flashed before her closed eyes as the lightning flashed through the night sky. She saw a creature with the stature of a man. His hair was dark and wavy, his skin was green and almost reptilian, as were his large amber eyes. With him was a beautiful young woman who was clearly human. She had long curly brown hair, bright blues eyes, ruby red lips, and alabaster skin. Lily then saw herself with them. They looked like a happy family. The man and woman then disappeared and Lily was left alone in the dark. She then saw the man in a cave behind stone bars. The woman was in a stone room, her wrists and ankles in shackles. They were both yelling to her. They yelled for her to help them, but the name they called wasn't her own. The name they called was "Rose." The name rang in her ears as the lightning woke her from the dream. She sat up and panted. She didn't understand any of the dream, but it frightened her. She covered her mouth to muffle her crying.

Gold couldn't sleep due to the storm. He decided to go to his office to do some late night working. When he looked at the clock, he saw it was nearly two in the morning. In less than four hours, he would have to get ready to open the shop. It was a Saturday, so Lily would be there with him. He decided to try and go back to sleep. As he made his way up the stairs, he heard a sound from Lily's room. As he approached it, he heard it more. It sounded like muffled crying. Why was she crying? Did something happen to her? Worried, he opened her door and looked in. He saw her sitting up in bed with her hands over her mouth, muffling her cries. He then entered the room and turned on the light.

"Lily?" She looked up and he could see her eyes were bloodshot and full of tears. He could also see the fear in them. He went over to her and sat next to her on her bed. "What's the matter, flower?"

"Da...ddy..." She hugged him as she continued to cry. He held her close to comfort her. He hadn't seen her that afraid in a long time. What could have caused her to act that way?

"What's wrong, sweetheart? What happened?"

"I...had...a...bad...dream." Those were words he hadn't heard in a long time. He knew Rose had night terrors since she was a baby. Later on, he learned that her "nightmares" were visions. It seemed that she was born with the power of foresight. The visions got stronger once she got her powers with her locket. Since the curse, no magic should work, including hers. Then again, her powers are drawn from True Love, the strongest magic in the world. Was it possible that her powers could be active in Storybrooke? He would figure that out at a later date. For the time being, he needed to comfort his daughter.

"Shh. It's alright, flower. It was just a dream. None of it was real."

"But...it...felt...real." That added on to his suspicions.

"It might have, but some dreams do. You have to remind yourself that they're just dreams. They can't hurt you." She said nothing. She only clung to him as her crying died down. This was his usual routine for when she had a bad dream. After she would calm down, they would sit and talk until she fell back asleep. He could've gone through with it, but he didn't. It was the first time she had a nightmare since the curse. Who knows how many others she had while he was locked away? How many times had she wanted him to comfort her, but he couldn't? She may not remember it, but he did. It killed him to hear her cries for him and he couldn't be by her side. He never wanted her to go through that again. He would make up for lost time. "Would you like to stay with me tonight?"

She looked up at him with her bright but bloodshot emerald eyes and nodded. He peeled her from his side so he could stand. He wished he was still able to pick her up and hold her. He hated his crippled ankle even more. He held his hand out to her and he took it as she climbed out of bed. He turned out the light as they left her room and went down the hall to his. He pulled back the sheets so she could climb in. He then covered her and went to the other side of the bed. He rested his cane against his nightstand as he sat in the bed. He laid down and covered himself with the sheets. Once he got comfortable, Lily snuggled up to him. He smiled as he wrapped his warm arms around her.

"Goodnight, Daddy." He kissed her forehead.

"Goodnight, my little flower." Though nature was still at war outside, inside the Gold home was peaceful the rest of the night.

 

Gold didn't expect the next month to happen the way it did. Lily had a nightmare almost every night. They had never been that frequent before. All she really told him about them was that most of them were the same as the first. She never went into detail about them. It was the same back at the Dark Castle. She was always too afraid to recall most of her dreams and he didn't pressure her. He didn't want her to relive the nightmare, but he was starting to get worried. What was the dream? What scared her that much? What could he do to help her? As much as he hated to admit it, he needed help.

After he dropped Lily off at school, he went to open up the shop. He then made a phone call to someone to help him with Lily's nightmares. While he waited, he conducted his business as usual. He was in the back at his desk when he heard the bell over the door. He groaned, thinking it was a customer until the person called out to him.

"Mr. Gold?"

"Back here, Hopper." Archie felt a sudden dread down his spine. He had heard stories of being called to his back office. It usually meant eviction or closing of a business. He made his way to the back and saw Gold sitting at his desk. Gold looked up and saw the fear in the man.

"Mr. Gold, I..." He cut him off.

"Calm down, Hopper. You're not being evicted and I am not closing you down." Archie let out a breath of relief.

"Oh, thank you. I was worried for a moment."

"I can easily change my mind and that wouldn't be in your best interest."

"Of course not. So, what is it that you needed to talk about?" Gold gestured for him to take a seat. Archie sat in the chair near his work bench. Gold took a moment to gather his thoughts. He couldn't believe he was seeing the therapist again. And once again, it had to do with his daughter. In the five, almost six, years he had taken care of her, he had never been stuck on how to handle her problems. He couldn't understand it, especially since he barely used magic for her. He knew all magic came with a price and he didn't want to risk her paying a price. He never needed help caring for her, yet there he was consulting a shrink.

"For the past month, Lily has been having nightmares. All she'll say about them is that it's almost always the same dream. She too frightened to speak of them."

"Well, that's understandable at her age. Nightmares are the opposite of dreams. Children believe that if you tell someone about a dream, it won't come true. She may have the mentality that if she tells someone about her nightmares, they will come true. Even as ludicrous as the dream may seem, a child's imagination makes anything seem possible." He knew that whatever she saw could come true if they were visions. He couldn't really be sure unless he knew what she was dreaming about.

"How do I stop her nightmares?"

"Well, you can't just...stop nightmares from happening. They happen whether you want them to or not. Same as dreams. You don't really have any control over what happens once you fall asleep. Soothing the fears of the nightmares is different. Knowing what she is seeing and talking with her about them could help soothe her and help minimize whatever scares her. It's a process and it may take a long time, but in time, she will see that she had nothing to fear in the first place."

"But she won't tell me about her dreams. How exactly do you expect me to help her if she's too afraid to even speak of the dream?" Archie felt slightly frightened, but kept his professionalism.

"Coax her to talk. Sit her down and let her know your concerns about her. Let her there that you will be there with her and you won't allow anything in her nightmares to come true. You're her father. You love her. You care for her. You protect her. You need to reassure her of that. She'll need to feel safe and be comforted. She may not talk right away, but you just need to give her time. If you force it, she'll never talk and her nightmares may get worse. Patience is the key. She'll open up when she feels ready and comfortable to talk about it." Gold thought for a moment. Would that really work? He thought back to when Rose first told him her dreams about Zelena, the witch from Oz. He was telling her about Baelfire and she told him that she had dreams of things that have happened. She opened up to him about her dreams before. She could do it again.

"Very well, Hopper. I will heed your advice. Once again, you are not to speak of this meeting to anyone and consider this month's rent forgiven."

"Of course, sir. Thank you. Is that all you needed?"

"Yes. You may go." Archie got up to leave, but stopped at the doorway.

"You know, Mr. Gold, being a parent can be difficult. Of course I don't have any experience as a parent, but part of being a good parent is knowing when you need help. It's nothing to be ashamed of. You're doing it for your child's well-being. And despite what the rest of this town thinks, I believe you're a good father to Lily." He then left. Gold thought on the man's words. He had been Rose's family her entire life. He was all she ever knew. After Belle came along, things were easier with the both of them raising her. Now that Belle was gone, he was by himself. It was just him and Lily. Belle had less experience as a parent, yet she always knew just what to do. She learned things about Rose even he didn't know. He was lost without her. He still wondered what happened to her.

 

Later that night, the nameless woman sat in her cell under the hospital. She still had no memory of her past life. She still didn't even know who she was. Her mind was still a blank slate. She sat in her cell alone. She looked at the diamond ring on her finger like she had done every night. She read the inscription on the inside of the ring like he had thousands of times before. My True Love. She wished she knew who her true love was. Who gave her the ring? Was the same man the father of the baby she was four months pregnant with? She wish she could remember, but she never could.

"Hi, Nurse Nancy." The woman heard the familiar voice of a little girl. The child came down there once a month to visit her mother, who was in the next room. She could hear their conversations. She heard how rude and cruel the woman was towards her young daughter. She never understood why the girl came to see her each month, but she would never get the chance to ask. Though the woman never laid eyes on the child, she could guess she was no more than six years of age based on how she talked. She then heard small footsteps come down the hall, pass her door, and went to the next one. She heard the unlocking, opening, and closing of the door. "Hi, Mommy."

"You came back? Ugh! Why don't you leave me alone?" Why was she complaining? If someone came to talk to me every month, I'd be happy, the woman thought. She couldn't understand why the woman was so cruel and cold towards her own daughter. The child was nothing but kind and sweet to her. What was there to hate about her?

"Yes, Mommy. Nurse Nancy said I could bring you something to eat."

"I don't want anything you have!"

"But I brought fudge brownie. I know you like them."

"I said no! What part of that don't you understand?!" The nameless woman wished she could have one of those brownies. Something in her subconscious told her that brownies were her favorite. She could almost smell the chocolate fudge.

"Okay." The woman frowned at how sad the girl's tone was. She wanted to just give the child a big hug. She wanted to talk to the child. That mother of hers didn't deserve her as a daughter. The child went on to tell her mother about school, friends, and her father, Mr. Gold. The woman wanted to meet this Mr. Gold. From the conversations she overheard, she knew he wasn't her biological father. He adopted her. The child always spoke very fondly of him. She wondered if Mr. Gold knew his daughter came there every month.

After telling her everything and finishing her hair, Lily packed up her things and left, locking the door behind her. She wished her mother would accept her acts of kindness. She was always so cold and distant towards her. Unfortunately, she was the only mother Lily had. Mr. Gold wasn't married. He didn't have a wife to be her mother. Though Lily still loved her mother, she wished she had another. As she turned to leave, she got yet another odd feeling when she passed by the door next to her mother's. Nurse Nancy told her the room was empty, but something told her that wasn't true. She didn't want to open the door since it would make too much noise. Nurse Nancy would hear and then wouldn't let her visit her mother anymore. She grabbed a stool from the corner and quietly placed it in front of the door. She then opened the flap on the door. She whispered in.

"Hello?" The nameless woman froze. She was afraid to say anything, even though she wanted to so badly. She hadn't had a conversation with a person in who knows how long, but she could risk the nurse hearing her. Lily looked in, but couldn't see inside since it was too dark. "Is someone in there?"

The woman stayed quiet. Lily had a feeling someone was there. She reached in her backpack and pulled out the container holding a single fudge brownie wrapped in a white napkin. She opened the container and took out the brownie. She whispered into the cell again.

"I think you're there. It's okay if you're scared. Do you want a brownie? My mommy didn't want it, but you can have it if you want." She held the brownie through the small window. The woman saw the brownie. Instead of dropping it, the girl held onto it, as if waiting to see if someone will take it. The woman almost didn't, but thought that the girl had been disappointed enough for one night. She quietly got up from her bed and made her way to the door. She took the brownie from the small hand. She heard the child gasp and smiled. She whispered two little words.

"Thank you." Lily was stunned. Someone was there! She had a feeling, now she knew. There was another woman there. She wanted to know about her, but she had to go.

"You're welcome." With that, she quietly closed the panel and put the stool back where she found it. She said her goodbyes to Nurse Nancy and headed home. The nameless woman returned to her bed and started to eat the brownie. It was chocolate bliss. She couldn't remember the last time she tasted the sweet delicacy of chocolate. She thanked the child over and over in her mind. She didn't know the girl's real name, so she gave her one. She didn't know why, but she called the young girl Rose.


	9. Chapter 9

After the advice Hopper had given him, Gold decided to talk to Lily about her nightmares. He didn't want to bring it up out of the blue, so it waited if she would have it again. A week went by and he was awakened by her screaming. He checked on her in the middle of the night to find her sound asleep. Had her nightmares gone away? Was she finally rid of the visions that haunted her at night? He saw this as a good thing, but also feared they would come back. Back in the Enchanted Forest, her nightmares would happen every few months. He was prepared for when or if they came back. For now, he could feel better knowing that she could rest without fear. After checking on her one last time, he returned back to his room and went back to sleep, now knowing of the new visions Lily was seeing.

 

Lily opened her eyes and saw that she was in a garden on top of a hill. The place didn't look familiar at all. Where was she? She turned to her side to sit up and felt a soft cloth beneath her. She looked down and saw an unfamiliar blanket. It was pink and had three large roses in the center with a gold vine wrapped around the stems. The design was very pretty and elegant. Where did it come from?, she thought. She also noticed her clothes were different. She wore a dark purple dress with long sleeves and white ruffles underneath. She grew more and more confused. 

"Rose?!" She jumped at the almost familiar voice. It was a woman calling for someone. "Rose, where are you, sweetheart?! It's time to come inside!"

"Rose? Who's Rose?" She didn't know who the woman was calling for, but maybe she knew where she was. She stood up and walked down the hill. She only then noticed the giant castle. It was like one of the castles from her stories. There was an open door along the side. She figured that's where the voice came from and went inside. She walked down a short hallway that went to a great hall. The room had a long wooden table in the center, a rather large spinning wheel in a corner, and other odd artifacts scattered about. The room was almost as big as the entire downstairs of her house. She could only imagine how big the rest of the castle was. 

"There you are, Rose." Lily turned and saw a woman enter the room. She wore a light blue dress with a white under shirt, white stockings, and sliver shoes. The woman herself had long curly brown hair, smooth alabaster skin, ruby red lips, and bright blue eyes. Lily recognized the woman from her nightmares. The woman that was calling out for help. Why was she calling her Rose? "It's nearly lunchtime."

"You! I...I know you." The woman looked confused for a second before she smiled.

"Well, I would hope so. I've been living here for almost a year." 

"But...I..." The woman felt Lily's forehead.

"Are you feeling alright? I knew you should've taken a break. You've been in that garden for hours. Come on. I'll get you some water." The woman took Lily's hand and led her out of the large room to a kitchen. It was slightly bigger than the one at home. The woman sat Lily at the table while she went through the cupboards for a cup. Lily was even more confused. She still didn't know where she was, she didn't really know who the woman was, she didn't know why she kept calling her Rose. The woman placed a cup of water in front of her. "Here. Drink this." 

"I...Thank you." She took the cup and took a few sips. She then placed the cup back on the table.

"Better?" Oddly enough, she did feel a little better. She calmed down a bit. 

"Yes." The woman smiled as she stood from the table and went to what Lily could only guess was a stove.

"Good. The soup's almost ready. You'll be able to get something in your stomach. You haven't eaten since breakfast." The woman took a wooden spoon and stirred the pot that held the soup. Lily still had questions swimming in her mind and she wanted them answered. The woman thought she was someone named Rose. Maybe she looked like her and the woman was jut mistaken.

"Um...Miss?" The woman turned to her with a surprised look on her face. "Who are you?"

"What do you mean, sweetheart? And since when do you call me 'Miss?' You didn't even call me that when I first came here."

"I-I don't think...I don't know you." The woman looked hurt as she sat next to her.

"Sweetheart, it's me. Belle. Your mother." Lily was even more confused. This woman wasn't her mother. Her mother was Portia Hart back in Storybrooke. Maybe the woman, Belle, thought she was that Rose girl. "Rose, did you fall and hit your head? I told you to be careful on that hill."

"No, I didn't. I'm not Rose. My name is Lily." It was Belle's turn to be confused.

"No, your name is Rose. It always has been." Lily didn't really know what to do. This Belle woman truly believed she was Rose, whoever that was. "Don't worry. I'm sure Rumple will know what's wrong."

"Rumple? Who's that?" Belle started to look concerned.

"Your father. Rumpelstiltskin. The man who took you in and raised you since you were a baby? Surely you remember him."

"Rum...pel...stilt...skin? He's just a fairy tale. He's not real." 

"Dear gods. Rumple needs to hurry home now." A cloud of purple smoke appeared.

"I heard my name!" The smoke cleared and revealed an odd-looking man. He had short ruffled brown hair, rough green skin, and large reptilian amber eyes. Lily recognized the man. He was also in her nightmare. He was calling out for help as well. He too called out for Rose. He looked frightening, but Lily felt that he wasn't as scary as he looked. Belle quickly stood and approached the man.

"Rumple, thank gods you're home." He took her hand in his.

"What is it, darling?" Darling? Lily could recognize a term of endearment anywhere. Were they married or just in love? Lily didn't notice a ring on Belle's finger, yet she claimed to be her mother, or rather Rose's mother. She still thought it possible since her own mother wasn't married to her birth father.

"It's Rose. I think something's wrong. She doesn't remember who I am and she thinks you're a fairy tale and she thinks her name is Lily." 

"Lily? That's not the flower I named her after." Belle didn't find his quip funny. 

"Rumple..." He kissed her forehead.

"Don't worry, dearie. I'll handle it." Belle was surprised at how calm he was.

"Does that mean you know what's wrong?"

"But of course. Do you think I would be this calm if I didn't and couldn't fix it?" 

"I suppose..." He kissed her again.

"Not to worry. I know just what to do. Trust me." 

"Okay. As long as you know what you're doing. I don't want my daughter to think of me as a complete stranger." He gave her one last kiss before he walked over to Lily and held a hand out to her. 

"Come along, flower." Her eyes widened in shock. Flower? Only Mr. Gold called her "flower." She questioned the odd man, yet still felt that she could trust him. She took his hand and he helped her stand from her chair. They were then surrounded by a purple smoke. Lily was both fascinated and nervous about the magic he was using. She had always believed that magic was real, but she had never seen magic like his. When the smoke cleared, they were in a different room. It was smaller and almost circular. There was a desk covered with too many things to name, a cabinet filled with many different vials, a large book shelf, and many other things. 

"Wow. Where is this?"

"My tower. You're usually not allowed in here, but I suppose it's alright since none of this is real at the moment." Lily looked up at him in confusion.

"It's not?" He sat her down on a chair.

"Not at all."

"So, this is a dream?"

"Well, yes and no." Lily didn't think she could be any more confused.

"What?" He pulled up a chair and sat in front of her.

"This is somewhat of a memory. From what Belle has told me, you must be from the world without magic. The land after the curse."

"Curse?"

"Don't worry. You'll remember everything once the curse is broken. Your memory, along with everyone else's, has been erased and replaced with new ones. That is why you believe your name is Lily. Lily is your curse self." Lily had many more questions swirling in her mind.

"So, am I Rose or Lily?"

"You are, and will always be, my little flower Rose. I found you as a baby in the forest and took you in. I took care of you and raised you. You've been my daughter since that day. In your land, you may have a similar background." Lily thought back to the life she thought she had. Her abusive mother, Mr. Gold taking her away from her, adopting her and taking care of her as if she was his real daughter. The only thing that didn't add up was Belle. She never saw her in Storybrooke and she certainly wasn't her mother. Where was she?

"But, what about Belle? I don't know who she is." Rumple was confused by this.

"Isn't she my counterpart's wife?" She shook her head.

"No. I never saw her before." Rumple was worried. Belle should be with them.

"Then you must find her. If she's not with you, something might have happened to her. I doubt she's in any real danger, but she should still be found. She is your mother and she loves you more than your birth mother does. She was the first person you ever met. You took to her very quickly and you two have been close ever since. She's your real mother. Find her."

"Where?" His lips moved, but his words were muffled. She couldn't understand him. She then noticed everything around her was fading away. "Where? Where do I find her?"

"Lily..." She heard her name. The name she had always went by in Storybrooke. "Lily...Wake up..."

"What?"

 

"Lily, sweetheart. It's time to wake up." She opened her eyes and was met with a familiar pair of deep brown eyes. They were Mr. Gold's eyes. She was back home. It was all just a dream. None of it was real, yet it felt real. Something told her it was more than just a dream. "Flower?"

"Huh?"

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, Daddy. I had a weird dream."

"Was it a bad dream?"

"No. It was...weird." He smiled.

"Care to share it over breakfast?" She smirked.

"Can we have chocolate chip pancakes?" He chuckled.

"Sorry, flower. We had those yesterday."

"Then I won't tell you my dream."

"Well, that's just rude." She giggled. Maybe she would tell him about the dream, just not today. She got up and got ready for another day of school.


	10. Chapter 10

Lily didn't really think too much on her dream. For all she knew, it was only a dream. It couldn't have been real. She did wonder about that Belle woman. She seemed a little too familiar. Maybe she was a real person, but Lily had never met her. Maybe someone knew about her. Perhaps her daddy knew someone like her. She would be sure to ask him about her. During school, she drew a picture of the woman as best she could. Being only five-years-old, it was very rough, but she did her best. After that, it was recess. She ran out to the playground with the other kids. She joined a group that were playing Four-Square. It was one of Lily's favorite games. They went over to the big box with four smaller boxes drawn on the blacktop. One kid started to bounce the ball and the game went on. Lily bounced the ball a bit too hard and it went over the gate. The other kids groaned.

"Awe, now the game's over."

"I'll get it!" The other kids looked at Lily like she grew a third eye.

"You can't! We not a'ppose to past the gate!"

"I can get it!" The other kids watch as she ran over to the gate and opened it. She saw the ball had rolled to the other side of the road. She looked and saw there were no cars coming. She could run, grab the ball, and get back before anyone saw. She quickly darted out across the road and grabbed the ball. She checked again to make sure no cars were coming. She saw nothing and made her way back across the street. She then heard a loud screeching sound. She looked and saw a car speeding down the road. She tried to run back before the car came, but she tripped over one of her loose shoelaces and fell in the middle of the road. She tried to stand, but a pain in her knee slowed her. The car was fast approaching. Before she knew what happened, she was grabbed and pulled out of the road. She found herself back on the sidewalk and she watched as the speeding car drove past.

"What the heck were you doing in the middle of the road?" She looked up and saw a face she never expected. It was Mayor Regina Mills. She pulled her out of the way of a speeding car. Lily had mixed feelings. For the longest time, she had a fear of the woman. Now that she saved her life, she saw another side to her. Maybe she wasn't as cruel and cold as everyone thought. She was kinda like her father. Even she had a soft side. Without thinking, Lily hugged her.

"Thank you!" Regina hesitated.

"I...Why were you in the middle of the road?! You could've been killed!" Lily then remembered why she went out into the road in the first place. She looked down and saw the bouncy red ball she was fetching. She bent down and picked it up.

"I was getting the ball."

"You almost got ran over for a ball?! You have any idea how irresponsible and dangerous that was?!" She shrunk back. That was a very dangerous thing to do. She should have just told the teacher about it instead of going after it herself.

"I'm sorry." Lily's teacher finally saw the mayor and Lily standing outside of the gate and ran over.

"Lily? What are you doing outside of the gate?" Before she could respond, Regina snapped at the teacher.

"And why weren't you keeping a closer eye on her? Do you always let children wander out?"

"I...No, of course not, Madame Mayor. She..."

"Was under your supervision and almost got herself killed. What would Mr. Gold think if he knew you let his daughter became roadkill?" The teacher's eyes grew wide with fear. She, like everyone else in town, feared the notorious Mr. Gold. Ever since Lily came into his life, he had been more fearful. He was very overprotective of her and punished anyone that upset her. If he knew Lily almost got hit by a car on her watch, who knows what he could do?

"It...It won't happen again! There's no reason he has to know!"

"It doesn't matter. He'll know about it one way or another. Keep a close eye on your students or you'll lose your teaching position. I've got more important things to do than pull children from the road."

"O...Of course, Madame Mayor. Come along, Lily." The teacher took Lily's hand and led her inside. Lily turned and waved back to Regina. Strangely, Regina found herself waving back. She shook it off and continued her walk. She would have to stop by Gold's shop later on.

Back inside, Lily's teacher scolded her for leaving the school grounds. Lily knew she was in big trouble. She rarely got in trouble since living with Mr. Gold. She usually only did little things accidentally like breaking things in the shop or dropping dishes at home. This was much bigger than any of that. She nearly got herself killed. She knew Mr. Gold was already too protective and punished other people for her. If he knew about this, he would probably fire her teacher and she didn't want that. She loved her teacher. She was very kind and smart. She didn't usually like to keep things from him, but she felt it was necessary this time.

Regina made her way back to her office. She tried to get back to work, but she couldn't focus. She kept thinking about earlier when she saved Gold's daughter. Why did she do that? She easily could've let her get hit and devastate Gold, but she didn't. It's not like she liked children all that much. She remembered when she sent countless children to their deaths by sending them to the Blind Witch's house made of sweets. Was there something special about the child? She never even intended to go on that walk. Something just told her she should. Was there a significance to the child? Did it have something to do with the curse? Did she need her alive for some reason? She wouldn't know that for twenty-eight years, when the prophesied "Savior" would break the curse. She needed to keep an eye on the child.

The school day ended and Lily was waiting for Mr. Gold to pick her up. After being scolded, she was put in timeout for the rest of the day. She didn't like it, but she still wasn't going to tell her daddy what happened. She wondered if her teacher would. She did mention him not having to know about it when she was talking with the mayor. Maybe this could just be a big secret.

"Well, hello there." Lily was pulled from her thought by the unfamiliar voice. She looked up and saw a man with dark hair and clothes. Lily made it her mission to know of everyone in Storybrooke, but she had never seen him before. Was he new or was he just never around when she was. Either way, she was excited to see a new face.

"Hi!"

"Mind if I sit with you?"

"Sure!" He took a seat next to her on the bench. "I'm Lily."

"I know. You're Mr. Gold's daughter. Adopted, if I remember correctly. He took you from your abusive mother."

"Yeah. He's nice to me." The man smirked.

"That's rare. You must really special to him. I never would've thought in a million years that he could show kindness to anyone." This was a normal thought for anyone who knew of Mr. Gold. Only Lily had ever seen him as a kind person rather than the evil soul he usually was.

"Yeah. I hear that a lot."

"I'm sorry. I don't believe I've introduced myself, Lily. My name is Jefferson."

"It's very nice to meet you, Mr. Jefferson."

"Just Jefferson is fine. I never really cared for formalities."

"Okay." Lily then noticed an odd scar across his neck. It looked like it had been painful at one point. She wanted to know about it, but she thought it would be rude to bring it up. She tried to get her mind off of it. "I never saw you before."

"Well, it's not very often that I make my way into town. I only come down if I need some supplies or if I'm just bored. I spend a lot of my time working out of my home."

"What do you do?"

"I specialize in making hats. More specifically magical top hats." Magical? This sparked Lily's interest. Did this mysterious man really know magic?

"Magic hats? What do they do?"

"Well, none of them have worked so far, but they have great potential. They are suppose to open portals to other worlds. Magical worlds." Lily had never heard of such a thing, but it sounded wonderful. Having the ability to travel to magical worlds was something she would love to do. Maybe one of those worlds could be full of fairy tales like princesses and fairies. Maybe even the world from her dreams. She still wasn't sure if any of her dreams really meant anything, but it would be fun to find out.

"Wow! But why don't they work?"

"Well, I need a source of magic and I seem to be fresh out. Perhaps you could help me out with that."

"Me?"

"Yeah. You have magic in you." Her eyes widened in shock.

"I do?" He nodded and pointed to her locket.

"That little trinket of yours. It has a very powerful magic in it and that magic has been transferred to you. You could wield magic if you wanted to."

"Really? How?"

"Well, has your father ever told you about the story behind that locket?"

"About the lonely king finding a princess?"

"No. The story before that. The origin of the locket. Where it came from and how it was made." Lily sensed another story coming and perked up her ears.

"No. Tell me."

"Well, a long time ago in a land far, far away, there was a powerful sorcerer. He was the most powerful magic user in the land and people often called upon him for favors. As powerful as the sorcerer was, he didn't usually work alone. He would have other magic and non magic users to obtain things for him. In return, he would pay them in as much gold as they saw fit. One day, the sorcerer was called upon by a king. The king wanted a magical item that could help protect his new daughter. The sorcerer accepted the deal and called in some of his supplier to find such an object. A man with a magic hat that could travel to other worlds went to a special place to find it. He found a small heart-shaped locket that when worn, will protect the person and all they care for. In order for it to work, an sacrifice had to be put in the locket. Something very important to someone. Know one knows exactly what the king put into the locket, but not only did it protect his new daughter, but it also gave her power beyond anything known. To this day, any wearer of that locket will gain the same powers of the young girl as long as she loves. From what I've heard about you, you love almost everything and everyone. I couldn't imagine how powerful you must be."

"Woah! You really think I have powers?"

"I don't see why not. You just don't know how to use it. I bet I could help you and you could get my hats to work. Maybe you could come by my house one day and try."

"That sounds like fun, but I have to ask Daddy. I can't go anywhere without him."

"Your father and I are old friends. Well, not exactly friends. More like colleagues. We used to do business together."

"Really? I never saw hats in the store." He chuckled.

"Well, this was before I picked up my hobby. I was once a collector of hard to find artifacts. Your father bought a lot of things from me. That locket, for example. I found that for him."

"Wow. Why did you stop?"

"Eh, after a while, it gets boring. Plus traveling so much was very tiring. I decided to take things easy and work on my magic hats, which you can now help me with. What do you say?" She thought for a moment. She would love to see his magic hats. And if she could make them work, that would be the most amazing thing ever!

"Well..." Before she could answer, a black Cadillac pulled up. The door opened and Mr. Gold emerged.

"Lily..." She smiled at him and jumped up from the bench.

"Hi, Daddy." He walked over to her and Jefferson. He smiled at his daughter, then stared suspiciously at the man.

"Jefferson. It's been quite a while since our last meeting." The younger man smirked.

"That it has, Gold. I was just officially meeting your daughter. News of her have recently spread to my little neck of the woods." Gold narrowed his eyes.

"I see. Lily, why don't you get in the car while Mr. Jefferson and I...catch up."

"Okay, Daddy." She opened the car door and climbed into her booster seat. Gold closed the door behind her and faced Jefferson once again.

"Cute kid. Seems a little out of character for you to save a child."

"Well, believe it or not, I'm not a fan of child abuse."

"I would hope not. You have to draw the line somewhere. Children are precious. They need to be loved, cared for, and protected. By the looks of her, you've done a decent job. A bit surprising from someone like yourself, but good nonetheless."

"Is there a reason you decided to approach my daughter? Don't you have your own to attend to?" Jefferson's face paled. In that moment, he knew Gold remembered. He was awake just like him. Rumpelstiltskin knew of Jefferson's young daughter Grace. He knew what happened to her after the Evil Queen trapped him in Wonderland. Grace was no longer his daughter. Gold didn't know the exact whereabouts of the girl, but he knew she wasn't with Jefferson.

"You...You..."

"For your own well-being, I suggest you stay the hell away from Lily. If I find out you've been around my daughter again, I'll be sure you never see yours ever again. Am I making myself clear?" Jefferson knew exactly what he meant. He wouldn't hurt Grace. Back in the Enchanted Forest, Rumple vowed that he would never harm Grace not matter what. Rumple was shifty, but he was a man of his word and he wasn't one to hurt a child. While Jefferson couldn't care if he lived or died in that new world, he wanted his daughter back. If the curse was ever to be broken, he would have a chance to be with her again. Gold smirked. "Good. Good day to you, Jefferson."

"And you...Mr. Gold." Gold nodded and went back to his car. He got in and drove off. On the way back to the shop, Gold spoke with Lily.

"Lily, sweetheart?"

"Yes, Daddy?"

"I don't want you talking to Mr. Jefferson ever again." She was confused.

"Why not? I think he's nice. And he talked about his magic hats!" Magic hats? He must be trying to get back to the Enchanted Forest, he thought.

"Flower, just trust me when I say he isn't someone you should be around. He's not a good influence and I don't want you mixed up with his nonsense. If he ever approaches you again while I'm not around, do not speak to him. You are also to tell me when he approached you. I don't want you associated with him. Do you understand?" She didn't completely understand, but she knew better than to disobey him.

"Yes, Daddy."

"Good." They made it back to the shop. "Sweetheart, for hour movie tonight, I was thinking 'Alice in Wonderland.' How does that sound?"

"Okay! I love that movie!"


	11. Chapter 11

Lily and Gold made it back to the shop. On the way, Gold asked Lily about her day as he did everyday. She told him everything excluding the part about running out in the street. She knew he would be upset with her if he found out she put herself in danger like that. He accepted her story and she asked him about his day. Gold thought it was cute that she would ask. He remembered when Rose would ask what he was always up to back at the Dark Castle. She didn't always understand him, so she was always so eager to learn as much about her father as she could. That particular day wasn't all that interesting. He mostly stayed in the shop doing paperwork. The most interesting part of his day was seeing Jefferson in town. He would have to be sure to make sure the hatter stayed away from Lily.

Once they were in the shop, Gold retrieved Lily's snack of sliced strawberries from the mini-fridge in his office. Lily would usually eat in the back so she would see any business he had with customers. Gold didn't want too many people to interact with his daughter. In fact, he was even more overprotective of her in Storybrooke than he ever was in the Enchanted Forest. People knew of her. They knew she was his precious daughter, the only weakness they knew of. This particular day, he allowed her to enjoy her snack at the counter with him. He didn't want to risk Jefferson trying to sneak in from the back and take Lily.

Lily thought it was odd that she could be up front, but she didn't question it too much. In fact, she was excited. She hoped that she would get to see what her daddy did without having to eavesdrop. Unfortunately, the only person that came in was the last person she wanted to.

"Hello, Gold." Gold sighed, but put on a fake smile.

"Good evening, Madame Mayor. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Lily heard the slight disgust in his voice. She knew he didn't like the mayor. The whole town knew they practically hated each other. Lily didn't want the mayor to tell him what happened at school. She hoped she wouldn't.

"Oh, I was just dropping by for a visit." She smiled at Lily. "Lily, am I correct?"

"Yes, ma'am." Gold wrapped a protective arm around her shoulder.

"Now, Ms. Mills. I do believe we had an agreement concerning my daughter, did we not?"

"Of course. I'm just glad to see she's okay." Lily's face paled and she grew nervous. Gold didn't see this, but was confused by the mayor's statement.

"And why wouldn't she be okay? Are you questioning my ability to care for her?"

"Of course not. Considering what happened earlier, I'm surprised you're as calm as you are. If I was that close to losing my child, I don't know what I'd do." Lily knew she was in trouble now. Gold's anger sparked inside of him.

"And just why did I almost lose my daughter?" Regina looked to Lily.

"You didn't tell him what happened? My, my. I didn't think you would keep secrets from your own father." Gold grew even angrier and more frustrated.

"What the bloody hell are you on about?!"

"I saved your daughter from being run over by a car when she ran out in the middle of the street. And chasing after a ball of all things. That teacher of hers should really keep a closer eye on her students." To say Gold was in shock was an understatement. He was angry, frustrated, worried, and other emotions he couldn't completely register. The woman he loathed the most saved his daughter's life? And his daughter said nothing about it? He almost lost the one person that meant the most to him and he didn't even know it? He didn't know which was worse. Was it because the Evil Queen saved Lily or because Lily didn't tell him about it?

"Leave. Now." Regina pretended to be offended.

"Is that the thanks I get for rescuing your daughter? You really are a bitter old man."

"I said leave!" She put her hands up in defense.

"Alright, fine. I'll go. Just wanted to check in. I shall see you later, Mr. Gold." She gave Lily one last smile before she turned and left. The smile hid a nefarious meaning behind it. Lily knew and grew even more nervous and frightened. For the first time, she was afraid of her daddy. She had no idea what he would do in that situation. After Regina left, Gold turned to his young daughter and looked her in the eye. His look was both calm and intimidating.

"Lily, you know better than to lie to me, don't you?"

"Yes, Daddy."

"Now tell me the truth. Did you run out in the middle of the street by yourself?" Lily felt like she wanted to cry, but she held back as much as she could. She remembered when she lived with her mother that if she cried, things would only get worse. Mr. Gold has never hurt her before, but she had never seen him so angry.

"Yes." He took a deep breath and tried to keep calm. It was getting harder for him not to yell.

"And...and did Ms. Mills pull you from the street?"

"Yes." Why? Why did Regina save her? The evil woman could've easily let her get hit. He would've been devastated if anything happened to her. Regina didn't have a decent bone in her body. She's sent multiple children to their demises in the past. She even wanted to get rid of Rose. Why save her? Did she have anything to gain from her staying alive. He should be happy that Lily was saved. He should thank Regina for saving the life of his beloved daughter. All he felt was anger and confusion. "Daddy? Are you mad?"

"Yes, Lily! I am furious! It was irresponsible of you to do such a thing! You could have been hurt!" Lily was even more frightened. He yelled her her. He never yelled at her. She knew this was coming.

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Sorry isn't enough! What were you even thinking?! Not only did you put your life in danger, but you allowed that retched woman to save you!"

"But I..."

"Am I a bad father?! Is that it?" Lily was now both frightened and confused. Why would he think he was a bad father?

"What? No."

"Are you trying to leave me?! Am I that bad of a person that you would wish to kill yourself just to be rid of me?!" Lily couldn't hold back anymore. The flood gates opened and she allowed the tears to escape from her eyes.

"No, Daddy! I love you!" He suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him.

"Lies! You hate me, don't you?! You believe I'm a horrible father! You regret me ever taking you in!" She tried to pull away to no avail.

"Daddy! Please!"

"Everyone I've ever loved has left me and you're trying to do the same! YOU HATE ME! ADMIT IT!"

"DADDY! YOU'RE HURTING ME!" That caused him to snap back to reality. He saw the tight grip he had on her arm. He saw the fear in her bloodshot eyes. He saw the tears falling down her cheeks. What had he done? He released her arm and slowly backed away from her. He hurt her. He hurt his darling flower. He could see the red mark where his hand was. Lily looked at him in fear and worry.

"I...I'm sorry, flower. I'm so sorry. I..." He couldn't find the right words to say. Was there anything he could possibly say that would make it better? She had to hate him now. She already had false memories of her mother abusing her. Now, she had a real memory of her father hurting her. He did the one thing he vowed he would never do.

"Daddy..." She tried to walk over to him, but he stopped her.

"Please don't. You should stay back, flower." She took her nickname as a sign that he had calmed down. She worried for him. She could see the intense pain in his eyes. It was a look she never saw in her mother's eyes after she beat her. He regretted what he had done. She knew that. "Go in the back. Please."

"Okay." She made her way to the back office. Gold ran a hand through his hair. He messed up. He really messed up. Not only did he scare his daughter, but he laid a hand on her. He wouldn't forgive himself for that. He wouldn't expect Lily to forgive him either. She had a kind heart, but even she had to have a limit when her trust is betrayed. He pulled himself together enough to call Dove to come and get Lily. He would take her home and stay with her. He needed time to think and she shouldn't be around him right now. It wasn't long until he arrived and took her. After they left, he tried to occupy his mind with work.

Later That Night

Gold closed up the shop and went home. When he arrived, he saw Dove's car still sitting in the driveway. He went inside and found the man reading a book in the living room. Dove told him that Lily fell asleep hours before and she was still in her room. Gold dismissed his henchman and sent him home. Gold reluctantly made his way up the stairs to Lily's bedroom. Just as Dove said, she was sound asleep. He once again saw the red mark on her arm. He would forever regret the day he hurt his most precious flower. He couldn't take back what he did, but he could make sure that it would never happen again.

After he kissed her forehead, he went to his room and prepared for bed. The events of the day took a toll on him. He tried to think of a way to make things right with Lily. He frightened her. He harmed her. He betrayed her trust. Something had to be done. He had to do something to show her that he still loved her. Something to make her happy. He looked out of his window and stared out into the night's sky lost in thought. What could he do? What could he do? A dog's bark brought him from his thought. He looked to the sidewalk and saw Dr. Hopper walking his dog, Pongo. Gold knew how much Lily loved that dog. She loved all animals.

"That's it!" He knew what he could do.

 

Hours later, Lily woke up and packed up her bag. She first went to Gold's bedroom and saw that he was sleeping. She knew how upset he was after what happened. She knew he didn't mean it. It was an accident and she forgave him. She kissed his cheek and headed out to the hospital. She greeted Nurse Nancy. Tonight's treat was double chocolate chip cookies. She got them from Mr. Dove. He bought them for her from Granny's. Nurse Nancy took the cookies and Lily took the keys. She went to her mother's usual cell and told her about the interesting things in her life, including both incidents from that day. Portia was much too happy about it.

"So, the man is finally treating you how you should be treated. Do you still think him so perfect?"

"It was an accident."

"So were you. Had that car been faster, I wouldn't be having you bothering me anymore." Lily no longer took offense to anything her mother said. Nothing nice would ever pass through her lips. Ignoring her, she continued to fix her mother's long raven hair. She offered her one of the cookies, but she rejected them. "How many times do I have you tell you I don't want anything you have?! I don't even want you!"

"You could just say no."

"Are you getting smart with me, you little brat?!" Lily sighed. She didn't know why she continued to see her mother month after month. She would continue to question, but she wouldn't stop visiting. She didn't want her to be alone.

"No, Mommy. I'm going home." She packed up her things and stood to leave.

"Good. I hope the next speeding car hits you this time." Lily walked out and locked the door behind her. Before she left, she stopped by the door beside her mother's. She took two cookies from her bag and wrapped them in a napkin. She quietly opened the small flap on the door. "Hello? Are you in there?"

"Yes." She stuck the cookies through the window. With her visits, she always stops to give treats to the mysterious woman. She wished she could talk to her face-to-face, but she didn't want to risk getting in trouble with Nurse Nancy. Lily knew the woman could hear her through the wall, so she always made sure to speak loud and clear enough for her to hear. They only ever spoke a few words to each other before Lily would have to leave.

"They're double chocolate chip. I hope you like them." After a moment, the woman took the cookies from the child's hand.

"Thank you, Lily."

"You're welcome, Miss." Lily still didn't know the woman's name. The woman didn't even know her own name. All Lily could call her was Miss.

"You know, your father loves you a lot."

"Huh?"

"You said he yelled at you. That means he cares, you know."

"Really?"

"Yes. Considering what happened, of course he yelled. He was worried about you. He realized he could have lost you. He may have made the mistake of hurting you, but you know he didn't mean to. The last thing a loving parent ever wants to do is harm their child. If he truly regrets it, he's in more pain than you can ever imagine. All he wants is for you to be safe. If anything were to happen to you..."

"He would be sad. Daddy was sad before he had me. And he's happy now with me."

"He's a parent. He'll make mistakes, but you need to know that everything he does is for you." Lily smiled. Mr. Gold did love her. He cared about her and protected her. This one time, he wasn't there when she was in danger. Of course he was upset.

"Thank you, Miss."

"Of course. Will I see you next month?" Lily smiled again.

"Yes." Lily then left the hospital and returned home. She put away her things and changed into her pajamas. Instead of getting into bed, she made her way to Gold's bedroom. She saw that he was still sound asleep. She climbed into his bed and snuggled up against him. After a moment, his arms wrapped around her. She smiled and melted into his embrace. He loved her and she loved him. He was her father and she was his flower, no matter what. "I love you, Daddy."


	12. Chapter 12

The next morning, Gold awoke to something warm in his arms. He looked down and saw Lily peacefully asleep in his arms. Had she come in during the night? Did she have another nightmare? He then remembered the events of the previous day. He yelled at her. He hurt her. He made her cry. He had broken her trust. Why was she there with him all of a sudden? She shouldn't be there. She should want to be far away from him. Why was she there with him? His little flower continued to surprise him with her kindness and forgiving heart. That didn't change what happened. He would make it right.

"Lily, sweetheart. It's time to wake up, flower." She groaned and buried her face in his chest.

"Mmm. No." He couldn't help but chuckle at the cute little girl.

"Yes. You need to get ready for school." After a few inaudible mumbles, she pulled her face from his chest and looked up at him. He expected her to suddenly bolt from the room in fear once she remembered what happened. Instead, he was met with her darling sweet smile.

"Morning, Daddy." He smiled back at her.

"Good morning, flower." He saw the mark he left on her arm. He could make out the imprint of his hand on her small arm. He ran his hand gently down the angry red mark on her pale skin. He still couldn't believe what he did. Since the day he found her, he vowed to always protect her. The last thing he wanted was to hurt her. Lily saw the sad look in his eye. She knew he was truly regretting what happened. She took his hand from her arm and held it in her tiny warm hands.

"It's okay, Daddy. I know you're sorry. I still love you." He felt a tear slide down his cheek. He didn't realize he was holding back tears. It took a lot to make the Dark One cry. Having his child that he hurt say that she still loved him after what he did was a trigger. She may have forgiven him, but he still didn't forgive himself. He pulled the child into his embrace and hugged her.

"I love you so much, my precious flower. I promise nothing like that will ever happen again. The last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you." Lily returned his hug.

"I know, Daddy." If only you could truly understand my pain, he thought. His daughter was much too forgiving and never held a real grudge. She was sweet and easily loving. She was the complete opposite of her father. In a way, Gold was happy about this. Since he found her, he didn't want her to turn out like him. He wanted her to be a healthy and happy child. That's exactly what she was. Even through her hardships and pains, she still managed to find her happiness. In a way, Gold envied the child. He was never able to be as happy as he once was. After the life he's lived in the past 300 years, the only times he was ever happy was when he was with his children and when he had Belle. Baelfire and Belle were missing and Rose didn't remember her past life. Because of this, he loved Lily that much more. She was all he had left of any sort of happiness. If he lost her, he could never be happy again. "Daddy?"

"Yes?" She looked up at him with her bright emerald eyes.

"I'm not mad at you. You don't have to be sad." He smiled and kissed her forehead.

"Thank you, flower. I know you're not upset with me, but I still can't forgive myself. I feel like I failed you as a father. I will try to make this right. I promise."

"But..." He looked over at that clock and saw that it was almost 6:30.

"We're running late, flower. You need to get ready for school."

"But, Daddy..." He picked her up and placed her on the floor.

"We can finish this discussion later." She wanted to keep talking, but she knew how he was about her getting to school on time.

"Okay."

"Good girl." He kissed her forehead again. "Now, go brush your teeth and get dressed."

"Yes, Daddy." She left his room to get ready. He followed suit and went to his bathroom. After they were both ready, they went downstairs for breakfast. When they finished, they got in the car and Gold took Lily to school. He dropped her off and went to the shop. He needed to get his work done quickly so he could close up the shop early. Luckily, no one decided to pay him a visit and he got his work done earlier than he expected. Around 1:30, he closed up the shop and made his way down to the animal shelter. His plan was to get Lily a pet. She loved animals and she had asked him for a pet many times before. Even back in the Enchanted Forest, she wanted a pet, specifically a unicorn. Luckily, she was satisfied with the stuffed one that Belle gave to her for her birthday. He pushed the thoughts aside before he started thinking about his True Love too much and walked into the shelter. The man behind the desk stood as he saw the older man enter.

"Oh! Mr. Gold! What a surprise!" The man was familiar. He had brown hair and green eyes. He wore a green t-shirt and brown pants. Gold felt like he knew the man, but he couldn't place where. The younger man's name tag read: Victor. "How may I help you, sir?"

"I'm looking for a pet for my daughter. A dog."

"Oh, of course. We have many dogs that your daughter may like. If you'll follow me." Gold followed the man to the dog kennel. When the door opened, Gold was met with the smell of dog fur, kibble and the loud sounds of barking. Both sides of the room was lined with caged dogs. The larger dogs were on the ground while the smaller ones were kept above. "Sir, is there a...specific breed you would like?"

"Just a dog that will make a five-year-old girl happy."

"R-Right. Well, I, personally, would recommend a smaller breed. Unless, she likes larger dogs..."

"She likes animals. She'll like either, but I will pick out what dog shall live in my home."

"O-Of course, sir." Gold slowly made his way down the hall, taking in each dog. He saw many different dogs, but none of them were to his liking. Some were too big, some were unkempt, and most were just noisy. He then came across a cocker spaniel with light brown fur and darker brown ears laying down. It was well groomed, quiet, seemingly tame. It raised it's head as Gold approached its cage.

"What of this one?" The young man walked over to his and saw what dog he meant.

"Ah. She's a beauty. She's an American Cocker Spaniel. She's two years old, but she's very well-behaved. House broken and everything."

"Really? And why is it that she hasn't been claimed?"

"Kids are always looking for the most playful looking dogs. She doesn't act out like the others, so most see her as just boring. She's actually very playful when she wants to be, but she is still a very obedient and well-mannered pup. Because of that, we call her 'Lady.' I think she would be perfect for your daughter." Gold didn't believe it. No dog that well-behaved would still be in that kennel.

"Prove it. Show me that she's as tame as you say." The young man was nervous, but he knew better than to question the powerful Mr. Gold. He took his key from his belt and unlocked the cage. He picked Lady up and took her out. He then placed her on the ground. Not knowing what to do, she just stood there. Before Victor could say anything, Gold stopped him. "No. I'll be the judge."

"R-Right. Remember, she answers to Lady." Gold pushed the man back with his cane and stood before the small dog. She looked up at him with innocent brown eyes. Gold had to admit that she was cute, but cuteness wasn't enough for him to make his decision.

"Lady, sit." She sat. Gold wasn't impressed just yet. "Lie down." She laid down. "Sit up." She sat up. "Speak." She gave a bark.

"See? She's the perfect companion."

"I'm not fully impressed. These are usual commands for a dog." He took the keys from Victor and threw them to the end of the hall. "Fetch."

She eagerly ran to the end of the hall after the keys. She got them and ran back to Gold. He leaned down and held out his hand. She placed the keys back in his hand and waited for him to throw them again. She was indeed playful. Lily would love Lady. He stood and gave Victor his keys back.

"This dog is impressive. Is she up to date on her shots?" Victor picked Lady up from the ground.

"Yes. All of the dogs get their shots as they should."

"Are there any medical issues for her?"

"None. She's perfectly healthy." Gold knew Lily would fall in love with the small dog. He didn't see any reason not to get her.

"Good. I shall take her." Victor smiled.

"Of course, sir! You've made a great choice." Victor led Mr. Gold back to the counter. Gold still couldn't shake the feeling that he knew the young man. Was he just another desperate soul that once asked for his help? No, he thought. It was more than that. He just didn't know what. As Victor started to print out the necessary paperwork, Gold noticed something he missed earlier. There was a gold ring around the younger man's wrist. It wasn't a bracelet. It was apart of his skin. It looked very familiar. It bothered Gold.

"What is that on your wrist?" The young man looked at his wrist and saw what he meant.

"Oh, that. I can't explain it, really. In fact, you wouldn't believe the story behind it." Gold knew he should probably just drop the subject, but it bothered him too much.

"Try me." Victor was hesitant, but he still spun his tale.

"Well, when I was younger, it's safe to say that I was...pretty ugly. Deformed, even. I was abandoned as a baby, so I didn't have any parents. Living in a orphanage in New York was pretty gruesome. I left when I was old enough and came here to Storybrooke. One day, I wake up looking completely normal and with this gold band etched into my skin. The only thing I remember from the night before was a dream I had of a little girl giving me a magical bracelet that made me normal." The story seemed to be parallel with another he knew. No parents, deformed, abused his entire life, magical bracelet that made him normal, bracelet given by a little girl. "Most people don't believe me. It does sound kinda ridiculous, though."

"Oh, I've heard more ridiculous than that." Victor didn't know if that was Gold's way of believing him or mocking him. He put Lady in a pet carrier while Gold filled out the final paperwork. After it was done, he was able to take Lady home. He got back in his car and put Lady in the passenger seat in her carrier. As he started up his car, he looked back to the animal shelter. "So, this is where the hunchback has been. Lily should visit sometime."

Later That Day

Lily was waiting for her Daddy to pick her up from school. She was still in trouble from the previous day and wasn't allowed to play on the playground for the rest of the week. It wasn't long until she saw his black Cadillac pull up in front of her school. She jumped up from the bench and made her way to him. He hugged her as she approached him.

"How was your day, flower?"

"It was good. I got all the spelling words right!"

"That's very good, flower." He placed her in the car and buckled her into her car seat. Instead of heading for the shop, he drove them back to the house.

"Daddy? Why are we going home?"

"I closed up the shop for the day. Besides, I'm sure you'll want to see your surprise." She perked up at the word "surprise."

"Surprise?! What is it? What is it?!" He chuckled at the over eager child.

"You'll just have to wait until we get home to find out what it is." Lily was excited. She loved whenever Gold had a surprise for her. It was always something amazing. Her last surprise was a brand new bike. The one before that was the swing in the backyard. She wondered what this one would be. She was on the edge of her seat. After what felt like forever, they finally reached the house.

"Okay! We're home! What's the surprise?!" He chuckled again.

"It's inside, flower." As soon as her feet hit the ground, she ran to the front door. She impatiently waited for her daddy to come and unlock the door. He purposely slowed down to torture her a bit more.

"Cone on, Daddy! You're going slow on purpose!" He smiled at her. She knew him well. He finally reached the door and took out his keys. He paused and looked down to his small child.

"Are you ready for your surprise, flower?"

"Yes! Open the door!" He finally unlocked the door and opened it. When it opened, Lily saw a box sitting a few feet away from the door. Lily was confused and looked up to her father. "What is it?"

"Go and open it." She approached the box and knelt in front of it. She took the top off and gasped at what she saw. She reached inside and pulled out a small dog with a pink ribbon around her neck.

"It's a doggie!" Gold smiled at her.

"Yes. And she's yours." Lily smiled and laughed as she hugged and petted the small dog.

"She's so pretty! I love her! What's her name?"

"Lady. Unless you wish to change it." Lily thought for a moment.

"No. Lady is pretty. Her name is Lady." Lady licked Lily's face, causing the small child to giggle in delight. She put Lady down and went over to Gold. She hugged him and he hugged her back. "Thank you, Daddy."

"Anything for you, my dear flower." Gold felt a little better. He knew she already forgave him for what he did, but he still had trouble forgiving himself. He had to remind himself what he was willing to do to ensure his daughter's happiness. Gold didn't want to get a dog for many reasons, but he knew Lily wanted one. When it came to his one and only daughter, he was willing to put aside his own reservations to make her happy. She was more important.


	13. Chapter 13

Lily was in love with her new dog. She took Lady anywhere she possibly could. They always played together and slept together. Lady never bothered him with barking ot just being where he didn't want her. She was the most well-behaved dog he'd ever known. Gold was happy knowing that his daughter was happy. The incident seemed to be long forgotten. Gold never wanted to think about it, but he would never forget the first time he hurt his daughter. He never brought it up again. Lily had forgiven him and she was happy again. That was all that mattered to him.

Though time in Storybrooke was to be frozen, Gold and Regina were the only ones that would be aware of the next twenty-eight years. Even so, time seemed to fly by for Gold. The first year alone was busy. He was reunited with his daughter, he learned identities of most of the townspeople, his daughter had a life threatening experience and got a dog out of it, and so much more. After the first year, things went on as they normally would. Gold and Lily got up, got dressed, shared breakfast, Gold drove Lily to school and himself to work. Before he knew it, another year flew by. Then another and another.

18 Years Later

It was another Saturday afternoon. Gold took Lily to the shop with him as he always did. Around 1:00, Gold closed up the shop for lunch. Lily wanted to go to Granny's Diner and of course he brought her. He gave her anything she wanted within reason. A simple lunch in a diner was something he could do. They sat in the back booth and talked while they waited for their food. Lily wanted to take Lady to the park the next day. Usually, he wouldn't want Lily outside too long since it was always cold in Storybrooke, Maine. Since it was close to spring, it was getting warmer. Might as well take advantage of it.

"I don't see why not. Of course we may go to the park tomorrow." She smiled.

"Thank you, Daddy. I think Lady will like the park."

"I think she will too, flower."

"Is she okay in the shop? She's all alone." He chuckled. She was always concerned about leaving Lady alone. She had to when she went to school and Lady was always so happy when she came home. Gold even brought Lady to the shop with him a few times while Lily was at school for company.

"She'll be fine. We're going straight back once we finish lunch. You took her outside before we left, didn't you?"

"Yes, Daddy. And I put food and water in her bowl."

"Then she'll be okay. You're very responsible, flower. I think that's deserving of a little treat."

"Really? Like what?" He thought for a moment.

"Not sure. I suppose I'll figure that out after dinner tonight. Think you can wait that long?"

"Yes!" He smiled.

"Good." Ruby came to their table and served their food. They continued to talk as they ate. Lily went on to talk about school and her friends. In turn, he talked to her about some of his business. She still tried to understand what he did other than run an antique shop. She still didn't understand a lot of it, but she made an effort to try. After they finished eating, Gold went to the restroom while Lily waited for him. While she waited, an unfamiliar man came into the dinner. Lily had never seen the young man before. He had green eyes and brown hair. He wore a dark green shirt over a white long sleeved shirt and brown pants. Since Lily didn't know him, she decided to make a new friend. She slid out of the booth and went over to him at the counter. He seemed to be ordering to go.

"Hi!" The man looked down at her and smiled.

"Hello there."

"What's your name?" He was taken back by the young girl's bluntness.

"My name's Victor."

"Hi, Victor. I'm Lily."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Lily."

"I've never seen you before. Are you new?" He chuckled at the child. She was very bright and cheerful.

"No. I've been here for a few years now."

"What do you do?"

"You ask a lot of questions, little one. Where are your parents?"

"My daddy's in the bathroom. I'm waiting for him."

"Okay, well, I don't think he'll want you talking to strangers." She tilted her head in confusion.

"Are you strange?" He chuckled again. The child was so delightfully adorable.

"No, but you don't know me and that makes me a stranger to you."

"Well, I know your name. That makes you my friend!" The child had a fairly simple way of thinking and Victor was intrigued. She couldn't have been more than five years of age. How could she call someone a friend so easily? Oddly enough, he didn't mind. The child didn't mean any harm and he is no threat to her. She was very innocent and sweet. That could come to be her downfall. Victor shook these thoughts. He was over thinking it too much. She's just a friendly child. No need to get all soul searchy about it.

"Well, I'm flattered, but we can't be friends that easily. You still barely know me."

"That's why we talk, so I can know you." Victor found himself smiling. Who was this wonderful little girl?

"Lily." Victor knew that Scottish accent anywhere. He saw Mr. Gold approaching. Lily smiled and went over to him. Victor couldn't believe his eyes. That sweet, innocent little girl was Mr. Gold's daughter? He, along with the rest of Storybrooke, knew she was adopted, but he didn't expect her to be the way she was. He had heard of her from the local news and gossip, but he never actually met her before then.

"Daddy, I made a new friend." Gold looked to the young man that used to be a hunchback.

"Is that so?" Victor was suddenly nervous.

"Oh, Mr. Gold...I...uh..." Gold stared at the man for a moment before smirking. Gold had nothing against the man. He was actually one of the few people he didn't mind in his company. Of course, Victor knew nothing of his hunchback self. After watching over his behavior and actions in Storybrooke, Gold found he was still the same shy, kind-hearted person he was in the Enchanted Forest. He would even go as far as to say he trusted the young man who once saved his daughter's life.

"It appears my daughter has taken a liking to you, as she does everyone."

"Well..." Gold looked to his daughter.

"Flower, did he tell you he was the one that helped me pick out Lady for you?" Her eyes went wide as she smiled and gasped.

"You helped pick Lady? I love her! Are you a vet? Do you work at the animal shelter? Is it fun?" Victor was conflicted. He wanted to laugh and smile at the eager girl, yet her intimidating father was standing right behind her. Gold noticed his conflict. It reminded him of when he first moved to the Dark Castle.

"That's enough, flower. Perhaps I'll take you to the shelter someday."

"Really?"

"Of course. Anytime you want." Lily looked up to Victor.

"Can I?" Why are you asking me?, he thought. Even he wasn't stupid enough to contradict Mr. Gold.

"Well, if your father says so, I don't see why not." Lily smiled.

"Yay!"

"We have to go now, flower. We don't want Lady to be alone for too long."

"Okay, Daddy. Bye, Mr. Victor." Gold and Lily left the diner. It was nice to see Lily interacting with her old friend. He was her very first friend. It's a shame that she didn't remember him. It would be years before she did.

Gold was back in his shop and Lily was in the back taking a nap with Lady. Lily hated leaving her home alone all day. Gold agreed to let her bring Lady to the shop on Saturdays. Lady always stayed close to Lily, so Gold knew she wouldn't be any trouble. More importantly, that was a very significant day. The Evil Queen, a.k.a. Mayor Regina Mills, would come to him for help. He foresaw it back in the Enchanted Forest. When she killed her own father to enact the curse, he knew she would have a hole in her heart. She did kill the person she loved most. She would feel unhappy and want something from him.

"Daddy?" He saw his young daughter emerge from the back rubbing her eyes. Lady was right behind her.

"Hello, flower. Did you have a nice nap?" She climbed up on the stool next to him.

"Yeah. I don't remember having a dream though."

"Well, you aren't always going to dream every time you fall asleep. Otherwise, you'd run out of things to dream of." Her eyes widened in surprise.

"That can happen?" He couldn't help but chuckle.

"It might. It hasn't happened to me, but I think it can still happen."

"Do you dream, Daddy?"

"I do."

"About what?" Gold's face fell. It was true, he still did dream. After living for over 300 years, The Dark One still dreamed. Some of them were visions of the future. Those stopped after the curse hit. Now, he dreamed of the past. Some were pleasant dreams. He dreamed of the night he found Rose and the night Baelfire was born. He even dreamed of when Belle first came into his life and when they finally confessed their love to each other. He also had not so pleasant dreams. A few were of when he lost Baelfire and when he was taken away from Rose and Belle. He also saw visions of the nights Rose would cry herself to sleep when he was gone. She cried for him to come home, but he couldn't. Those were the dreams that haunted him. He gave Lily a small smile.

"Many things, flower. Many things." She wanted to question him more, but the bell over the door rang. They both saw as Regina Mills entered the small shop. Lily got down from the stool and went to the back, Lady right behind her. She knew she was never to be around the mayor. She didn't understand why her daddy didn't like Ms. Mills, but she knew better than to question it. She proceeded to the back, but stood by the curtain to listen in. She knew she shouldn't, but they always had to most interesting conversations. She had to know what they were going to talk about today.

"I need a child, Gold. And I need your help."

"Well, I'm flattered, but uninterested."

"Not like that! I spent all morning talking to adoption agencies. The wait lists are over two years long. But you, Gold. You know how to cut through red tape. Otherwise, you wouldn't have that child of yours."

"Careful, Ms. Mills. You know the agreement concerning my daughter."

"Yes, yes. I know, but back to the matter at hand. You know how to work the system better than anyone. And if anyone can help find me a baby, then it's you." A baby? So that's what she wants, he thought. The thing to fill the void in her heart. How lovely.

"You wish to adopt?" Lily was shocked at this. She didn't think the mayor liked kids. Then again, she didn't seem to like anyone. Even after she saved her life, she still didn't seem all that caring.

"Well, don't look so surprised."

"Oh, I'm not. I'm sure you'll make a... well a mother of some sort."

"Can you help me?"

"Well, of course I can, but a word of caution. Ask yourself is this something that you're ready for."

"It's something that I need."

"Well, that may not be the same thing. I'll get you a child." She nodded and started to walk out. "But whether that's helping you remains to be seen. When you become a parent, you must put your child first. No matter what."

Lily thought he sounded sad. Why? He always put her first. He always took care of her in the best ways. Why would he be sad? She wanted to ask him, but she shouldn't have been listening. Also, Ms. Mills wanted a child! That was amazing! She wondered what she wanted. A boy? A girl? Maybe she could be friends with her baby when it grew up. Lily felt excited about the thought of a new friend. Maybe if she was friends with Ms. Mills baby, her daddy wouldn't hate her as much. He always did whatever it took to make her happy. Maybe becoming friends with Ms. Mills's new son or daughter would help break the ice between them a little. She could only hope.


	14. Chapter 14

Gold had found Regina's child. He knew exactly what child she needed. A certain little boy. He knew the boy was The Savior's child. Of course, Regina wouldn't. The boy had been born and put up for adoption not long after she made her request. It was only a matter of tracking him down. He soon found him at an adoption agency in Boston. Madame Mayor was already on her way there now. She would once again be happy. That didn't exactly thrill Gold, but he knew her happiness would be short-lived. It was only a matter of time.

"Daddy?" He looked up from his work and saw his sleepy daughter rubbing her eyes, Lady right behind her. He was working late in his home office again. He had tucked Lily in hours ago.

"What are you doing up, flower?" She made her way over to him.

"I had a bad dream." Part of him hoped it was just a dream. From what he could tell, she hasn't had any visions since the curse. Any dream she had was just a dream. Of course, it was possible that her magic could still work. The hunchback was proof of that. That magic band she gave him still worked. It even fused with his skin. That wasn't important. At that moment, his daughter needed comfort. He picked her up and sat her in his lap. Lady sat next to Gold's chair. Gold gave the small dog a scratch behind the ears. Lady then laid down. Lily laid her head on Gold's chest. They sat there in silence while Gold held his precious child. "Daddy?"

"Yes, flower?"

"Do you know a lady named Belle?" Gold's heart stopped. Belle? How did she know about Belle? Of course he knew her. She was his true love. The one woman that ever truly loved the man under the beast. The woman that loved that man's little Rose. Her true mother. He couldn't tell her that exactly. Without her memory, those answers wouldn't make sense.

"Why do you ask?"

"I have dreams...about a lady named Belle. She says she's my real mommy." Dreams about Belle? Is it a vision of the future? Maybe it was a memory from the Enchanted Forest. He couldn't be sure.

"Really? What does she look like?"

"Well...She has long curly hair, she has pretty blue eyes, and she has on a blue dress. She's really pretty too." That was Belle. That was his Belle. There was no mistaking it. What does it mean that Lily's dreaming about her? She may not remember her, but there was no reason he couldn't tell her about Belle.

"As a matter of fact, I did someone like that. Same name and everything." Lily perked up at this. The woman was real?

"You did? Who was she?" He gave her a warm smile.

"She was a wonderful woman, flower. She was smart, strong, beautiful, everything. She always craved adventure and loved to read. She was very kind and loved to learn about the world. She was even accepting of me and what I was. She didn't fear me like everyone else did. She saw me as a man instead of a beast. In a lot of ways, she was like you, flower. She could have passed as your mother to those who didn't know any better." Lily smiled. It was rare that her daddy spoke kindly of anyone else but her. The woman sounded like her dream mother.

"What happened to her?" Gold couldn't answer that. He refused to believe she was dead. She was protected with Lily's locket. Though it didn't prevent him from being captured or prevent whatever happened to Belle, but it kept them alive. It kept them from being hurt. Belle was alive somewhere. He just didn't know where.

"I don't know. She just...disappeared one day. I haven't seen her since." Lily heard sadness in his voice. He missed her.

"Did you love her, Daddy?" The question was sudden, but he expected nothing less of his young daughter. She was smarter and more observant than she looked.

"Yes. Yes, I did love her. Very much."

"And she loved you too, right?" He smiled again.

"She did. I will never understand it, but she did." They both stayed silent for a moment. Lily was taking in all of the information she heard. Her daddy was in love with someone. It was something she would have loved to see. She could just imagine her daddy being all lovey-dovey with a nice pretty lady. They could be a family.

"How did you meet?" Gold had actually thought of the what to tell her long ago. He believed that Belle would return one day and Lily would wonder about her. He couldn't tell her the exact story of what happened. It involved magic, ogres, and a giant castle. He especially couldn't tell her of how she was her mother. He had to change it up a little.

"Well...It was about a year before you were born, I suppose..." As he told the story, Lily closed her eyes and imagined how it would have played out in her head.

 

It was the beginning of fall and it was starting to get cooler. Belle was the librarian at the time and she loved it. At the time, her father's business wasn't doing well and he was having trouble paying his loan debts to me. Belle had to close down the library to help him. Business was slow and the debt kept growing. One day, she walked into my shop to make a request.

"Mr. Gold, I need you to give my father extra time. We're doing the best we can in the shop."

"I'm sorry, Ms. Belle, but the terms of the loan are very clear. No extensions under any circumstances. Your father must pay what he owes on time." I could tell she was desperate to help her father. She quit the job she loves just so she could help him. I admired her commitment to her father, but thought her father a fool for allowing her to do so. 

"Please, Mr. Gold. There must be something we can do." I decided to see how far she would go.

"Alright, Ms. Belle. How about we make a deal?"

"What sort of deal?"

"Your father needs to gather the money he owes and it seems I'm in need of a housekeeper. I propose you come work at my home and your father's payment will be cut in half until he pays it all off."

"But that puts him in your debt longer."

"Either that or he loses his business. Which would you prefer?" 

I knew she wouldn't refuse. She didn't want her father to lose the business he worked so hard to build. After that, she became my maid. She was in charge of cleaning the house, cooking my meals, doing my laundry and other things. For the longest time, we didn't speak to each other about anything other than her chores. We kept a strictly professional relationship for those first three months. One night, she stayed late to finish up some work she forgot. I found her in my library reading. 

"And just what are you doing?" I could tell by how she jumped that she didn't hear me enter. 

"Oh, Mr. Gold...I was just...I finished up the last of the cleaning and..."

"You thought you'd reward yourself with a book?"

"Well, I don't get much else out of this deal. I believe I do deserve something for my hard work." She was the first person brave enough to talk back to me. While I should have been angry, but I was instead intrigued. I respected her courage. After that, I agreed she was getting the short end of the stick.

"Well then, by all means take the book."

"What?"

"You do a decent job around here. And you were forced to close down the library. As a bit of a reward, I will allow you to take one book from my library each night after you finish your work, but only one." 

"Well, thank you, Mr. Gold."

"Think nothing of it. It's merely your pay for your work."

"It's still a nice gesture."

"If there's nothing else, I bid you goodnight, Ms. Belle."

"And you too, Mr. Gold." 

She started taking a book home every night. We even started having conversations about them. She was the first person I ever truly opened up to. She was different. I actually felt I could trust her. Eventually, we were able to have normal conversations with each other. Each day, I fell more and more in love with her. After some time, she started coming by on her days off just to see me. I thought it was odd that she actually wanted be spend the day me on her own free will. I'll never forget the first time we kissed. It was a late night. She finished up the last of the chores and came to tell me goodnight in my office.

"I'm finished for the night, Mr. Gold."

"Great. Did you pick out your next book?"

"I have. This pick is 'The Tale of Despereaux.' I thought it was rather odd to find this book in your library."

"Well, I have quite an extensive taste in literature."

"I see."

"If that's all, I bid you goodnight, Ms. Belle."

"You know, it is alright to just call me Belle. After all, I am younger than you."

"Age has nothing to do with it, I assure you. I prefer to use such formalities with people." She was silent, so I thought she had left. She instead came closer. She had a habit of sitting on my desk when we talked. I didn't mind it all that much. 

"I think that's your way of keeping people at arm's length. You're afraid to get close to people. I think you've been hurt by someone that you were close to and you don't want that to happen again. Or perhaps you lost someone." No one knows of my past. Not even you, flower. I refuse to let anyone know. Of course, that meant with her as well.

"I believe you're jumping to conclusions, Ms. Belle. Names are powerful things. Knowing ones name gives you power over them."

"Is that why no one knows your name? You don't wish for someone try and overpower you?" I didn't answer her. I didn't feel it was necessary. She was asking a question she already knew the answer to. "You know my name. I give you permission to use it, yet you refuse. Why is that?"

"I have no intention of trying to control you in such a way. I have no reason to." At that moment, I looked into her beautiful bright eyes. She was a picture of perfection. She was so beautiful. She looked at me with such understanding and curiosity. She never feared me nor did she truly hate me. I could never understand her, but I couldn't imagine my life without her. I feared to tell her these things because I feared she didn't feel the same about me. 

"Mr. Gold..." She then kissed me. It was...magical. Her emotions and feelings were poured into her soft kiss. She felt something for me.

 

"It was the first time in a long time...that I actually felt loved." Gold looked down and saw Lily was fast asleep. He smiled and kissed her forehead. She was all he had left. Belle was no longer around and nowhere to be found. Lily was the last love he had. That made her much more precious to him. He would find Belle sooner or later. Then they could be a family again. Until then, it was just them.

 

The mysterious woman in the asylum lay on her bed, trying to get to sleep. She was too bothered to do so. She kept thinking about Lily. The child came every month to see that woman next to her. Why? There was absolutely no reason to do so. Lately, Lily had stopped to give her treats. They would only have time to exchange a few sentences with each other. Lily didn't even know her name. She didn't know her own name. She knew nothing about her life. She would only have dreams of what life she could've had. The odd thing was, they all involved Lily. She had only seen the child through the small window on her door. She would see her bright emerald eyes, her long beautiful brunette hair, and her sweet little smile.

She then thought about her own child growing inside of her. What would become of it once it was born. Would it be a boy or a girl? Who was the father? She pondered these questions for a long time. They continued to go unanswered. She wished she remembered something about her life. At least her own name. How could she not even know that? She wished she could leave. She wanted to see the town. She wanted to meet people. Specifically, she wanted to meet Lily and her father, Mr. Gold. Lily always spoke kindly of her daddy. She seemed to really love him. She was adopted by him after whatever happened with her mother. She could only imagine the cruel things that woman did to that precious child.

Lily really made an impact of the young woman's so-called life. Hearing the little girl's voice brought her joy and happiness. The child sharing her sweets brought her comfort. They definitely made the baby happy. She wished Lily would come more often. If anything, she wished she would visit her. The nurse never came to check on her when she came. There would be no harm. Her so-called mother never cared about when she came to see her. Lily would enjoy a nice conversation with someone who didn't hate her just because she was born. In a way, the young woman could say she loved Lily. She was a child that gave love freely and deserved all the love in the world in return. If only she could leave the asylum. If only she could tell Lily these things. If only...


	15. Chapter 15

"Victor, I require help." Gold said walking in to the shelter one morning.

"Mr. Gold?" The poor man said in shock. If anyone had told him that Mr. Gold was asking for help, and would want his help, he'd have still been laughing.

"Regina is coming back today with her new son. The final bits of paperwork must be signed, the i's all dotted and the t's all dashed. I will need to bring Lily with me as it will be after school."

"Well, sir, I fail to see how I can help."

"You're a strong man, yes?"

"Yes, I would say so."

"Able to hold down an overly energetic hundred pound dog I assume?"

"Yes."

"Then you can be a buffer." The poor man had to pause for a moment, thinking, making sure his ears were still working.

"I'm sorry, a buffer?"

"If the sun is shining, world peace was declared, and universal brotherhood was considered the new norm to the extent that Nazi concentration camp solders and there victims were coming together and forgiving each other completely, laughing about what had happened. On that day, Regina and I might be able to spend one or two hours in each others company before one of us tried to murder the other with the pen we were using to sign papers. On any other day, Regina will greet me at the door with her largest kitchen knife behind her back, and me with a gun up my sleeve. And if the business of the day is not over in ten minutes, blood will be shed."

"And when finishing up government forms for adopting a gerbil, it can take a half hour." Victor was beginning to see Gold's point, having helped with many adoptions over the years.

"The odds of us both leaving there alive with only Lily and a month old boy to hold us back, is slim at best. You however can keep an eye on Lily, and hold one of us back if necessary."

"And the reason your asking me and not you big scary bodyguard is?"

"Dove could hold me back, but I can't trust myself not to order him to stand down, and trust that he won't actually stand down and let me kill her if I do. And if Regina attacks me, he might 'accidentally' kill Regina. You, on the other hand, are trusted by me, liked by Lily, and unless you have something you need to tell me, you don't hate Regina, and will not listen to me if I say let me go until I put the gun down." Gold said. He then drew out a large roll of bills. "Plus we need a witness, so here is a thousand dollars. I will see you at the mayor's at 5 pm sharp."

Victor just stared at the money, never seeing so much at one time in his life. But when he heard the bell above the door ring, he managed to think of a question he wanted to ask. "Mr. Gold, all this talk about you having a gun and her having a knife, it's all metaphorical, right?"

Gold just responded by whipping out a revolver from his coat, unlatching the chamber and springing the barrel, and then snapping it back and into the coat it went. "You think I'm going into a lion's den with nothing but my good looks to have a talk with Medusa? I'm old and crippled, not stupid."

And with that he left. And Victor fell into his chair and put the money on his desk. "Well, this can't possibly end well."

 

It was the second Tuesday of the month. And as everyone knew in the K-4 class, every second Tuesday of every month, Mary Margaret's fourth-grade class would come in and read and play and just hang out with the children. This month, Lily was paired with Paige, a very nice 10-year-old blonde who never put her hair up. Lily always enjoyed practicing her brushing with Paige's hair and putting it up in all sorts of intricate and fancy ponytails or buns or really whatever it was that her little five-year-old mind could come up with that her little hands could actually make.

Today, Lily was trying to make it a three strand ponytail braid. This was basically taking the hair and separating it to three parts, with one on the right, one on the left, and one in the middle. She was then going to turn each part of the hair into a ponytail, and then wrap the bottom of the three ponytails together. Lily was certain this would look absolutely hilarious, and that it would test the limits of her, in-gen-nu-aty, as her father liked to say. Paige just sat there, trying not to laugh or look horrified as Lily explained what she was going to try and do. Paige just sat there and began reading the book she had chosen, Alice in Wonderland.

"Who's your favorite character?" Lily asked.

"I think, perhaps the Mad Hatter. He always just seems so goofy. What about you?"

"The Cheshire cat. He always seemed like he knows a lot more than he lets on."

"Like your father." Paige said smiling.

"Yep. My daddy knows everything, except for the things he doesn't know, but there is a very much of that." And the two young girls dissolved into laughter. Sadly, or not so sadly, at the expense of the three ponytail braid.

 

"Regina." Gold said as Regina opened door. "I hope you don't mind me bringing Victor and Lily along. I couldn't bear the thought of poor Lily being all alone in the house."

"And the reason for bringing the owner of the town's animal clinic is?"

"Have to make sure the boys up-to-date all of his shots, schedule him for being neutered, all the normal procedures and whatnot." Gold said smiling, a smile that increased slightly when Regina gave a very undignified cough and then glared at him. "Moreover, he's just here to make sure you and I don't stab or shoot one another to death, whichever one helps you asleep at night."

"Having this over and you out my house as quickly as possible will help me sleep much better, thank you." Regina said directing him into the dining room. "Lily, why don't you go and play with young Henry. And Victor, go with her or stay here or I don't really care what you do, but just don't get any dog fur or fleas all over the furniture."

"Only doggies have fleas." Lily said laughing at Regina.

"Yes, and they make the poor dogs itch, so I make sure not to have any so the dogs are protected from that itch." Victor said before leaving the room. Regina could've sworn he subtly put a B before that last itch.

"Such a charming young man. Are you certain he shouldn't be in one of the cages down at the shelter?"

"No more than you my dear." Gold said smiling, and inwardly he was on the floor rolling around with hysterical laughter thinking about how well Victor had handled Regina. "Now let's get down to business, you need to sign form A section 3, paragraph B, and unless of course you're adopting a boy, which you are. In that case needs to be form B section 8, paragraph 5-K. As he's under a year old you should include a section 5, paragraph 6, but ignore J. As he is not missing any fingers or toes, we can also ignore form F and T, the sections 3, 8, and 24. But must complete paragraph 7-M of each of those sections."

"And what's this form here, SM?"

"That's for single mothers, section 3, paragraph J-9, or sadistic monsters, section C, paragraph 5." Gold said while he was shuffling through papers. He then paused and looked at Regina. "I'm not entirely sure which one would suit you better, best to fill both out."

While Gold was still busy shuffling through papers, Regina was busy gripping the handle of one of her favorite kitchen knives so hard that her knuckles were turning white.

 

While Gold and Regina were subtly, or lack thereof, threatening and throwing back and forth insults. Lily and Victor were getting to who went all over Henry. Who according to Lily was the cutest baby ever!

"He has such tiny toes, and a cute little nose!"

"And a grip like nobody's business." Victor said trying to free his pinky from the young man.

"I think he's going up to be a handsome prince, a real Dragon fighter!" Lily said waving her arms around like she was holding the sword.

"More than likely." Victor responded with a laugh. "Or perhaps some troublesome sorcerer who follows in the footsteps of a kind little fairy." He said smiling at Lily.

"Yeah."

The business of that day was concluded with no one killed, maimed, or bleeding, other than a few blisters from writing and griping handles to tightly. In the following days, Lily managed to find herself in Henry's company often. When she went as a guest with Mary Margret's class to the hospital, Regina let Mary hold Henry, and a few times when Lily went to Granny's or the store with her father, Regina had Henry with her. Lily noticed however that whenever she saw Regina over those days that the mayor seemed to be more irr-it-able and tired, but Lily was sure it was just because she was new at being a mom.

 

"You knew." Regina said entering the store angrily about a week and a half after getting Henry.

"Knew what, exactly?" Gold said, he wasn't sure if he should smile or not, it seemed Regina still was smart enough to make a connection, but whether or not it was a problem he wasn't sure. She placed Henry's baby carrier on the floor. Lily started to come over to play with Henry, but a sneer from Regina made her back up.

"The child that you located for me in Phoenix... his mother was found in the woods outside of Storybrooke eighteen years ago."

"What a starling coincidence."

"Eighteen years ago?!"

"I fear I'm missing the significance. You have to forgive me; my memory is not what it used to be. As is yours, if you think I will help with what ever this is if you keep sneering at my daughter." Regina looked at him for a few seconds, trying to drill a hole in his head or something probably.

"Lily, you can take Henry into the back room and play with him if you like. Your father and I need to talk." Lily looked up at Gold to see if she had permission. He gave her a gentle smile.

"It's alright, flower. Go and have fun with your little friend." She smiled and took Henry to the back office. When they were both finally in the back room, Regina was back to drilling holes in Gold's head.

"Henry's mother was found as a baby on a very significant day. The day this town... this town..."

"This town what?"

"She's important, isn't she? This mother."

"Is she important? I suppose that as much as she gave birth to your son."

"You... you built this into this whole thing, didn't you? You made this happen because the mother... she's..."

"She's what, madam mayor? This mother you seem to fear so much."

"Oh, you really know nothing of what I'm talking about?"

"Well, I know you're upset. That much is clear, but might I point something out?" When Regina didn't answer, he continued. "There are around 550,000 babies born every day, half of them girls. Out of them, about 10,000 won't live five minutes, 30,000 won't live for a full first day, and 50,000 won't last the year. Out of the 115,000 left, tens of thousands will be born by stupid teens, and a few thousand will be born to drug users, criminals, and others like them. Of those thousands, many will be the one who died, and may more abandoned in some way, to an orphanage or a church's door step. If you look hard enough, every day you find stories about children being found on road sides or other unsavory places."

He had to suppress the shudder that was building thinking about how Rose was one of those children, but at least in this world there were people who cared about finding those that left children to die in forests and bringing them to account. "And your point of all that is?"

'To put seeds of doubt in your mind' Gold thought. "My point is, is it possible that all of your running around, worrying about this woman who might just be another lost child that some idiot abandoned is just that, and the real reason you are so worried is that you've finally realized something?"

"Realized what?"

"That what I said would happen has in fact happened. That you're just not cut out for being a mother and this unrealistic fear is a way of letting him go guilt free."

"What are you talking about? Of course I can be a mother. Just not for Henry."

"Of course. The dark bags under your eyes, the fatigued tone of your voice, the insane ramblings about mysterious women and how they will bring about your own personal apocalypse is proof of that. You're definitely cut out to be a mother if at the first sign of trouble, you run away and try abandoning your child. But what you need to remember is that it's not about you. Being a parent is all about putting your child first, even when they're ungrateful little pains who eat all your food and money and patience. When they go and break your heart and disrupt your life. Even when they do things that drive you so crazy they are pretty sure the world spinning one way near spinning the other, you've got to remember it's about them."

Regina just stared at him with a mixture of shock, awe, and hatred. "And who are you to tell me anything about parenthood?"

"Nobody really. Just an old fool with his head on straight and isn't currently thinking on only ten hours of sleep for the past week. If you want to give up Henry, go ahead, but a fair warning free of charge: whatever hole it was in your life you were trying to fill with him, if you give him up it will only grow exponentially."

"What if that's a price I'm willing to pay?"

"You'd be amazed the number of people that of walked through that door begging me for a loan or a deal. Every one of them has said that same thing in one way or another. I've yet to meet one that actually followed through." Regina didn't say a word. She is walked into the back room and picked up Henry's carrier, much to Lily's disappointment.

"Well, it doesn't matter. Henry's going back to Boston tomorrow." Gold watched as Lily peaked out from behind the curtain, a single tear in her eye because her friend was going to be taken away.

"Would you like a piece of free advice?" Gold said, knowing he had try and stop Regina for no other reason then to prevent Lily's feelings from being hurt.

"What?" Regina said angrily.

"If you think a child will fill some hole in your heart because you want them to, you're wrong. If you want the vacuum you feel right now that is sucking away all the happiness and joy from your life to ever go away, you have to love something purely. That means taking them in with no arterial motives other than to help them. Sooner or later, if you happen to love him enough, and he loves you, one day you'll wake up take a deep breath, go to the window and smile. That day, it will not be some forced fake smile you put on for appearances. It will be a real smile, from true happiness. And that's the day the vacuum you feel right now will stop sucking up all the light in your life."

Regina's face didn't change. In fact, nothing in her demeanor did. She just turned and left without a word. If Gold looked at Lily at that moment, he would've seen a look of reverence on her face. When she looked up at her father, she realized one thing. She wasn't sure where this sudden realization came from, and might one day question how her little five-year-old mind would be so intelligent. It didn't change just how true it was. Her father had saved her that day he took her in and saved her from her cruel mother. Everyone in town would, to some degree, agree that he had. But to him, as far as he was concerned, the day he took her home was the day that she had saved him. Lily then jumped up and gave her father a big hug.

"Ufff." Gold grunted. "Not that I mind, but what is this for?"

"Nothing. I just thought you needed a hug." Gold looked down at his daughter and was again struck by just how caring she could be. It really was shocking, considering who her role model was. Gold hugged his daughter back.

"You're right, flower. I guess I did need a hug. Thank you."


	16. Chapter 16

Regina had decided to keep her baby boy. Gold still found Regina, the Evil Queen, as a mother laughable. That was surprising coming from the Dark One, but he was a father before he took on the dark curse. He knew the hardships of being a parent, but even he wasn't perfect. Regina had issues coping with becoming a mother, but she refused to give up on her child despite finding out about his birth mother. She fed him, changed him, cared for him, and protected him. Five years later and she was still his mother. She was taking everything in stride. She woke him up, dressed him, fed him, and drove him to school. As she pulled up to the school, she saw Gold dropping off his daughter. She sneered at the older man. She still didn't understand why his child wasn't separated from him.

"Lily!" Henry was excited to see the girl as he got out of the car. Lily saw him and smiled and waved at him.

"Hi, Henry! Hi, Ms. Mills!" She gave the child a fake smile and glared at her father. He returned her hateful glare. Regina leaned down and helped Henry get situated.

"Henry, I thought I told you to stay away from Lily Gold."

"But she's nice, Mommy. She's my friend. She's the only one that talks to me." Regina knew this to be true. Since he was her son, none of the other kids wanted to be friends with him. She didn't understand why Gold's daughter had friends, but her son didn't. He was much more feared in the town than she was. Why should her son suffer when his daughter is beloved by all?

"Her father is Gold. Who knows what vile things he teaches her? I don't want any of that rubbing off on you. Stay away from her. Do you understand?" She could see the sadness and disappointment in his eyes.

"Yes, Mommy." She knew she was taking away his only friend, but she didn't trust the Gold child. No matter how sweet and innocent she seemed, she was still Gold's daughter. She was still the daughter of the Dark One. Being raised by him with magic for five years, then twenty-three in Storybrooke, who knows what demons she could be hiding under that facade.

"Good boy. Go on now. Don't be late." He nodded and headed for the gate. Lily bounced away from her father to Henry with a bright smile.

"Morning, Henry!" Dropping his head, he ignored her and kept walking. Lily was confused by this. Why wasn't he talking to her? She was just being nice. None of the other kids talked to him because he was the mayor's son. It didn't make any sense to her, so she wanted to be his friend. She didn't want him to be lonely. She followed him. "What's wrong, Henry?"

"I-I can't talk to you."

"Why?"

"'Cause my mommy said so."

"But your mommy's not here. We can talk." Henry looked up at the girl in confusion. She was usually such a goody-two-shoes. Was she asking him to disobey his mother?

"But...Mommy said I can't." Lily was upset by this. She really wanted to talk to him. He was her most interesting friend. She wanted him to become her best friend since she didn't have one yet. She also had a lot in common with him. They were both adopted, they both have one parent, their parents are the two most powerful people in town, both their parents hate each other, and they like a lot of the same T.V. shows. She felt like she had known him all his life, which was weird since they were the same age and he just got adopted a few months back. She wanted to know even more about him and be closer with him. She had an idea of how they could be closer.

"Do you like secrets?" Henry's ears perked at this.

"Secrets?"

"Yeah. It's fun to keep secrets with friends! I even keep one from my daddy." Henry was surprised at this. She didn't seem like the kind to keep things from her father, especially since her father was Mr. Gold.

"Really?" She nodded.

"Uh-huh. You wanna know what it is?" He knew he probably shouldn't, but he really wanted to know. She was basically Storybrooke's sweetheart. What secrets could she possibly have that was bad enough to keep from her dad? He wanted to listen to his mom and avoid the girl, but he was so curious. He really wanted to know. Before he could answer, the teacher called everyone inside. "Aww. We gotta go in."

"But..." She smiled at him.

"Hey. If you play with me at recess, I'll tell you." With that, she ran inside. Little Henry didn't know if he should. His mother specifically told him not to talk to Lily Gold. Why? She was so nice. Anytime he went out with his mother, they would run into Lily and her dad. Their parents hated each other, but she was kind to him. He's known her kindness and sweet smile for the past five years. He'd known her almost his whole life. He also didn't understand that. As far back as he could remember, Lily has also been five years old. She never grew up or aged like he did. As much as he noticed, no one in town did.

"Henry Mills! Time to come in!" He was brought from his thoughts by the teacher's voice. He quickly ran inside to his classroom, which was across the hall from Lily's. He wished they were in the same class. No one in his class other than the teacher talked to him. Even when they were in groups, everyone talked around him. Henry felt left out and lonely a lot of the time. His favorite parts of the day were lunch and recess. He got to see Lily in both. When recess rolled around, Henry decided to see Lily. He was really interested in her secret. What could it be?

"Henry!" He saw Lily by the slide waving to him. He smiled as he made his way over to her.

"Hi, Lily." She held up a box of sidewalk chalk.

"Hey! My daddy gave me some colorful chalk. You wanna draw with them?" Henry was a bit confused. Wasn't she going to tell him her secret? On the other hand, he loved drawing with sidewalk chalk.

"Uh...okay." They sat under the slide and colored on the black top.

"Are you having a good day?"

"Um...I guess." She gave him a confused look.

"What does that mean?"

"Well, I don't have any friends. No one talks to me." Lily felt sorry for him. She couldn't imagine being so lonely. She gave him her bright, cheerful smile.

"Well, I'm your friend! We can have fun together when we're not at school! We can play in the park or at the beach! You can come over to my house, too! We can have lots of fun!"

"But...my mommy..."

"She just doesn't like my daddy. And my daddy doesn't like her. I don't know why, but that doesn't mean we can't be friends. You wanna be my friend, don't you?" Henry looked up at her in surprise. Why would she ask that? Everyone in school wanted to be her friend. She was always so nice and she brought new stuff to school every week. Who wouldn't want to be her friend?

"Yeah. You're my only friend." Her smile never faltered. She wished he had more friends, but as long as he had one, she was happy.

"That makes me your best friend, too! And best friends share everything with each other!"

"That...That means secrets too? You said you were gonna tell me a secret."

"Yeah. You really wanna know?" He nodded. "You gotta promise not to tell no one."

"I promise. I won't even tell my mommy." She held up her pinky to him.

"You gotta Pinky Swear. That way, you can't tell if you want to." He hooked his pinky with hers. "Say 'I Pinky Swear not to tell no one Lily's secret.'"

"I Pinky Swear not to tell no one Lily's secret." She smiled and gestured him to come closer. He crawled over and sat next to her. She looked around to make sure no one heard. She then leaned into his ear.

"I still go see my mommy sometimes." Henry's eyes widened in surprise as questions flooded his mind. She had a mommy? Who was she? Where was she? Was she Mr. Gold's wife? Why hasn't he seen her before?

"What?"

"Mm-hm. Daddy doesn't know and he would be really mad if he knew. He doesn't like my mommy. More than your mommy."

"Woah. He must really not like her."

"He doesn't. She used to hurt me a lot before he adopted me. He's a lot nicer than her." This confused and worried the young boy. He couldn't believe someone would want to hurt her. She was the nicest girl he knew.

"Why did she hurt you?" She shrugged her shoulders.

"I dunno, but I was too scared to ask. She got mad when I asked questions." This confused him even more.

"If she hurt you, why do you go see her? Doesn't that make her madder?"

"Yeah, but she's still my mommy. I don't know if I'll get another one. No one likes my daddy and he can't find a wife. She's not nice and she's really mean to me, but I still love her and she's the only mommy I got. And I don't want her to be alone down there."

"Down where?" Before she could answer, the teachers called everyone back inside. Lily pouted for a moment, then smiled at Henry.

"That can be a secret for tomorrow. Will you play with me again?" He couldn't resist her sweet smile and smiled back.

"Yeah. We can meet under here too." She giggled.

"Okay. This can be our secret spot. Only us allowed."

"Yeah! That's sounds like fun! Kinda like a secret club!"

"Lily Gold?! Henry Mills?!" They crawled from under the slide and ran to their teachers before they got in trouble. The rest of the day, Henry felt a bit happier. He and his best, and only, friend have their own little club. He even knows a secret about her that no one else knew. He felt somewhat special that she trusted him with her secret. Her seeing her mommy was something she didn't need her daddy finding out about. Henry didn't understand it. Lily said her mommy was mean and hurt her a lot. She still went to see her because she still loved her. She was her only mommy and she may never get another one. Henry couldn't understand. His mother was already really nice and loved him. She never intentionally hurt him. If anything, she protected him from getting hurt. She may not be his birth mother, but she was still his mother.

After school was over, everyone was let out on the playground to wait for their parents. He met with Lily again under the slide. They drew more pictures with her sidewalk chalk and kept an eye out for their parents. They could get in trouble if they were seen together. They played and talked until they saw both cars pull up. They quickly crawled from under the slide before either one of them got out of their cars. Lily and Henry grabbed their bags and made their way to the gate where their parents were waiting. Lily skipped to her daddy while Henry ran and hugged his mom.

"Woah there, Henry. That eager to leave school?" He looked up and smiled at her.

"I wanted to hug you, Mommy. Because I love you." Regina had never seen him so loving. He was always a sweet child, but this was different. She thought he'd still be upset with her about that morning. Lily Gold was the only child that talked to him. She was his only friend and she told him not to talk to her. Surely he would be upset with her for at least a day or two, yet he was hugging her and telling her he loved her. She didn't want to question it too much. She leaned down and hugged him back.

"I love you too, Henry." Henry looked over at Lily with her daddy. She was always so happy and cheerful, especially when she was with him. Who would've thought she had a mother that hurt her? And then she still went to visit her. If she could be that happy after having a mean mommy, he could only imagine how lucky he was to have a nice one. He could turn out just as happy, or even happier, than she was. He had a mommy that loved him and a best friend that was nice to him. When he really thought about it, that was all he really needed.


	17. Chapter 17

It had been almost three months since Lily and Henry declared themselves as best friends. Of course, they still had to keep it a secret from Regina. Henry couldn't understand why she disliked Lily so much. He didn't think because Lily was Mr. Gold's daughter was a good enough excuse, but he knew better than to question her. He wasn't afraid of her. He loved her very much and she loved him, but she could be scary sometimes. He wondered if Lily ever felt that way about her daddy. He was the most feared man in town. He wouldn't be surprised if she was scared of him from time to time. Maybe he would ask her at school.

It was late one night and Henry couldn't get to sleep. His Spiderman clock told him it was a little after 1:00 a.m. Why was he up so late? His bedtime was 8:00 and he usually knocked out around 9:00. It was a weekend, so Regina let him stay up an extra hour. He fell asleep, but woke up a few hours later. He knew his mother was sound asleep, so he didn't bother her. She said something about an early meeting the next day. He crawled out of bed and went over to his window. He could see the broken clock over the library from his room. As long as he could remember, it never worked. When he asked Regina, she said it broke down years ago and she never bothered to have it fixed.

Looking down at the front yard, he noticed someone walking past the front gate. It was a small girl. She looked around Lily's age. Henry's eyes widened as he recognized the familiar pink backpack she wore. It was Lily! What was she doing out of her house so late? He then remembered the secret she told him a few months back. She visited her mother once towards the end of every month. He wondered how Mr. Gold never knew about it. He seemed to know about everything that happened in town. How did he not know his daughter sneaking out each month in the middle of the night?

Curious, Henry decided to follow her. He changed into some warmer clothes and quietly slipped out of his room. He silently crept past his mother's room and descended the stairs. He quickly and quietly made his way out the front door and out the gate. He looked in the direction she went, but didn't see her. He didn't need to since he knew where she was going. He was shocked that she trusted him with so many of her secrets about her mother. He made his way to the hospital. Neither of them understood why people were kept down there. They were too young to know the full truth. As he approached the hospital, he ran into Lily coming out.

"Henry?" She was both confused and delighted to see her best friend. "What are you doing here?"

"I saw you walk by my house and I followed you. You're going to see your mommy?"

"I was, but Nurse Nancy said mommy was bad today and she needed to be se-da-ted."

"What's that mean?"

"I think it means they put her to sleep. I can't see her tonight." Henry noticed she didn't seem that upset about it, but he wondered something else.

"What about the other lady?" She did seem upset about that. She told him about the mysterious woman in the room beside her mother's. She knew next to nothing about the woman other than she was really nice and loved sweets.

"No. I couldn't go back, so I didn't see her either. But I can still see them next month if mommy is good." Henry could tell that his friend was still a little upset and offered to walk her home. "Does your mommy know you're gone?"

"No. She's sleeping. I couldn't sleep and I don't know why. Oh, and sorry for following you." She smiled brightly at him.

"That's okay. At least I won't be alone for tonight. I get to be with my best friend."

"Yeah, but what if we won't always be friends?" She cocked her head in confusion.

"Why wouldn't we be friends? We like each other, right? We always talk and we make each other happy. That's why we're friends."

"I know, but what if I keeping growing and you don't?" Lily knew what he meant. He told her about how he felt like nothing in town changed and how they've known each other for as long as he could remember. He said that every year, she would forget that she ever knew him. She always thought it was weird for him to think of something like that, but she never made fun of him for it. He seemed upset about it. He really thought that he would grow up without her and they would soon stop being friends. She wouldn't let that happen.

"Hey. I wanna show you something. Follow me." Curious, he followed her. After fifteen minutes of walking, she led him into the forest. He never had the chance to go out and explore the Storybrooke woods. His mother feared that he would get lost or hurt.

"Lily? Where we going?"

"Come on! We're almost there!" Five minutes later, they came to a small clearing. The full moon shined on a well in the middle of the clearing. "We're here."

"What's this?" They approached the well.

"My daddy brought me out here once. He said that the well has magic that can bring back anything that was lost."

"But I didn't lose anything."

"I know. He said it can be used as a wishing well too. If you give the well something you love a lot and make a wish, it'll come true." They both stepped up and looked down the well. They could hear water down below.

"So what? Magic isn't real."

"Daddy says that magic is as real as you believe it. It's okay if you don't believe, but I do." She reached behind her neck and unclasped her necklace.

"What are you doing?" She pulled it off and held it up to him.

"This is the first present my daddy ever gave me. I love it so much, I never take it off." He knew this. He's never seen her without the pink and gold locket. His eyes widened as she held it over the well.

"Wait! You can't throw that away!" She smiled at him.

"I'm not throwing it away. I'm making a wish that we will always be friends. No matter what, I'll always be your friend and you'll always be mine." She then dropped her beloved locket down the well. They both watched as the shimmering locket fell into the dark depths. They heard a tiny "plop" as it hit the water below.

"Won't your daddy be mad?"

"I'll just tell him I lost it." They stepped down from the well and looked to each other.

"What if it doesn't work?" She simply smiled.

"I think it will. Even if the wish doesn't work, I'll still be your friend. I won't forget you and you won't grow up without me. We'll always be friends and we'll always be together." Henry didn't know what to think. Lily had been his friend for as long as he could remember. She just gave up the thing she loved most to make sure it would stay that way. Why was she so committed to him? Why did she go to such great lengths just to be close to him? He didn't understand, but at that moment, he didn't care. He was happy to have her in his life. He couldn't imagine life without her. A breeze blew through the air, causing Lily to shiver and remember she had forgotten her scarf.

"Are you cold? Here." He took off his gray and red scarf and gave it to her. She smiled and took it.

"Thank you." She wrapped it around her neck.

"You're welcome. I can still walk you home if you wanna."

"Okay. Let's go." They left the clearing and headed back to town, not noticing the pink cloud rising from the well.

 

The next morning, Gold woke up to the annoying blaring of his alarm clock. During the night, he felt something off. He thought nothing of it, but it was still odd. It felt...magical. He knew that was impossible considering they were in a world without magic. If any magic would still work, it would have to be...With that thought, he rose from his bed and went to check on Lily. He entered her room and saw she was still sound asleep. He approached her and looked down at her little sleeping face.

At first glance, she looked perfectly normal. She was resting soundly without a care in the world. Carefully, he pulled down her blanket and saw the pink locket firmly clasped around her neck. He slowly lifted it and examined it. Again, it was perfectly normal. Her magic was still dormant for the time being. Perhaps it was nothing. Perhaps he was just getting anxious. Five years from now, the Savior would come to break the curse. His wait was almost over. The ringing of his house phone brought him from his thoughts. He released her locket and pulled her blankets back up to her neck. He then left to answer the phone. As soon as he closed the door, her locket dimly glowed.


	18. Chapter 18

When Lily woke up that morning and saw her necklace around her neck, she was most surprised. She remembered dropping it into the well to make a wish. Was it a dream or did it really happen? Later on at school, Henry was just as surprised to see her locket was back. He also remembered her dropping it into the well. Lily then took this as a sign that the well really did have magic. She thought because her locket was returned, it was a sign that her wish would come true. Henry still didn't think so. He didn't know how to explain it, but he still didn't believe it was up to magic. Even though he was skeptical, Lily saw it as a sign.

Over the next few months, Gold started to notices changes in his daughter. Over the years, he had learned every single pattern of their daily lives. Each day was the same. They woke up, ate whatever breakfast she requested that day, he drove her to school and he went to work. When he picked her up, they went to the shop where they would stay until 7:00, pick up dinner from Granny's or he would cook, ate dinner, bathed her and sent her to bed. Each day was the same pattern. That pattern was interrupted by something minor, but it still shocked him when Lily was the one to point it out.

"Daddy! Daddy!" He brought his attention to her standing in the doorway to the back office. He smiled at her.

"What is it, flower?"

"Look! Look! I got taller!" This shocked Gold. Believing she was mistaken, he got up from his desk and went over to her. He looked at the marks in the frame of the doorway. He remembered that his past self started it when Lily first started visiting. Lily told him how the other kids parents measured their heights and her mother didn't. He started measuring her so she could participate and kept up with her growth. Since the curse, she's always been the same height since she didn't age. When he looked, he was more than shocked to see she was right. She had grown a few inches.

"Well...That's...great, flower. Looks like you're growing up." Lily laughed and bounced in joy.

"Yay! I'm gonna be a big girl!" Gold was still in surprise. How was this possible? She never grew in the past. Why was this happening now? Could the curse be weakening? No, that's not possible, he thought. He was the one that created the curse. It was the darkest of all curse. The only thing that could possibly weaken or even break it was the Savior, but she wasn't anywhere in town yet. What could cause this? "Daddy?"

"Yes...Yes, sweetheart. You are going to be a big girl in no time." She smiled as she went to his desk and grabbed a pen. She handed it to him and stood against the frame.

"Mark it! Mark it!" Temporarily out of his shocked state, he took the pen and marked her new height.

Her growing height was only the beginning. Soon, she started doing different things in her free time, both at home and in the shop. She would usually take a nap, draw pictures, or play with Lady. Gold noticed that she started trying to read books. Since the curse, she wasn't as eager about reading books as she was when she was Rose. Rose would usually try to read books that were much too advanced for her, including a powerful spell book he never got back from her. He hadn't seen that side of her in Storybrooke. Because of she had opportunity to interact with the outside world, she spent as much of her time around others as she could. He didn't see a problem with her trying to read more, but he thought it was odd that she was reverting back to some of her pre-curse activities.

While Gold noticed more and more changing with Lily, she thought nothing of it. She saw herself becoming more of a big girl. She told Henry of some of the new things she started doing. Henry thought it was odd since she never did anything new. Every day was basically the same for her. At the same time, he was very interested in some of her new activities. She talked to him about the new words she learned while "reading" some of her daddy's books, with help from Gold. Her knowledge was progressively expanding and she was more than happy to pass on some of it to her best friend. They then talked about other things, including their parents.

"Hey, Lily?"

"Yeah."

"How come my mommy can't talk to you?"

"Huh?"

"Whenever me and my mommy see you and Mr. Gold, she can't talk to you. How come?" She thought for a moment. She wondered that herself, but she had a theory.

"I dunno, but I think it was because your mommy didn't want my daddy to adopt me, so he doesn't want her around me." Henry was surprised. Why? He knew they didn't like each other, but would it really go that far?

"How come?" She shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't think nobody in town wanted my daddy to adopt me. People think he's really mean. When he first adopted me, people asked me if I was okay or if he hurt me if he wasn't around. He says he's not the most lovable person in the world, but I think he is. He's a good daddy and a good person. No one else thinks so, but they just don't know him."

"People think my mommy is mean too."

"What do you think?" What did he think? He's been with the woman most of his life. She's been there for him since he was a baby. She took care of him. She cared for him. She loved him and he loved her. He couldn't ask for a better mother.

"She's a good mommy. She's scary sometimes, but I think all mommies are. And she says she has to be mean and scary sometimes because she's the mayor." She cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"Why?"

"I dunno. Maybe mayors are supposed to be scary." They continued talking until they were called back inside. At the end of the day, they went back to their "secret base" under the slide. They talked about what their classes are doing since school was almost over. Lily and Henry couldn't wait for summer vacation. Lily would get to go to the animal shelter with Victor a lot more while her daddy was running the shop. Henry didn't know what he would be doing. His mommy always had a surprise for him and he was excited to find out what it was.

"This summer is gonna be so much fun! And maybe we can be in the same class next year!" Henry frowned at this and Lily took notice almost immediately. "What's wrong?"

"I know we won't be in the same class."

"Hey, you don't know that."

"Yeah, I do 'cause I'm gonna grow up and you're still gonna be here. And we won't be friends no more 'cause Imma be older than you." Lily still didn't understand why he thought this way. She was growing taller and her intelligence was increasing. Why would he still think he would leave her behind? She took his hand in hers.

"I made a wish that we will always be together and we are. We're the same age and we always will be. We'll be together for school and as friends. No matter what, we will always be friends and nothing will change that."

"Henry Daniel Mills!" They both jumped as they heard the loud voice. They looked and saw Regina walking in through the gate. They hadn't been paying attention and didn't see her pull up. She had seen them together even though she told her son to stay away from Gold's daughter. They scurried from under the slide as she reached them, their hands still entwined.

"Mommy, I..."

"You deliberately disobeyed me, Henry. I told you not to talk to her." She yanked their hands apart.

"But Mommy..."

"No! I gave you a strict rule and you broke it! Come on! We're going home!" She took his hand and pulled him away. Lily, worried for her friend, followed them.

"Ms. Mills! It's not Henry's fault! He told me he wasn't supposed to talk to me! I talked to him first!" Regina didn't even bother to look at the child.

"Of course. What else should I expect from Gold's little gremlin?" Lily didn't know what a gremlin was, but it sounded bad.

"Please don't be mad at him!" Regina finally turned and addressed the girl.

"Look here. I don't want you around my son. I am trying to raise him to be a proper young man and a decent member of society. I don't need whatever Gold is teaching you to rub off on him." Henry didn't like how his mommy was talking to his best friend.

"She's nice, Mommy! She doesn't teach me anything bad! She's good!" Regina was fed up with both children.

"That is enough! From the both of you! I don't want to hear another word from either one of you!"

"And just who do you suppose you are yelling at, Ms. Mills?" Regina snarled as she recognized the despised Scottish accent. Lily looked over and saw her daddy approaching them from his car. "I do believe you are in violation of our set agreement."

"Well, the agreement doesn't hold up well if your daughter crosses the boundaries. I don't want her around my son just as much as you don't want me around her. If she understands that and stays within her boundaries, we won't have a problem." Gold simply chuckled.

"Do you honestly believe keeping your son from his only friend is what's best for him? After the relationship they've established, you'd be hurting him more than you'll ever know." She narrowed her eyes at him.

"You knew, didn't you?"

"Well, of course I did. Nothing in this town happens without me knowing, especially within my daughter's school. And since she tells me everything, I knew the moment she wanted to be friends with him and who am I to tell her she can't?" Regina snarled at the man. She couldn't stand him. She didn't know if he was worse as Gold or as the Dark One. Either way, she hated him as both.

"Come on, Henry. We're leaving." She reached to grab his hand, but realized he wasn't there. He was gone. So was Lily. Both Regina and Gold were in shock. How did they get away without them noticing? They looked around, but saw no sign of the children. "Henry?! Henry?!"

"Lily?! Lily?!"


	19. Chapter 19

As Gold spun around looking for his daughter, his mind was also spinning. No, no, no, no, no, no. Everywhere he looked, the word kept flashing in his head. No, she wasn't that child. No, she wasn't that child. No, that was a boy. No, that was a dog. No, that was a bush. No, that was a tree. No, that was not her either. It was getting ridiculous.

"What the hell have you done?! What the hell have you and that daughter of yours done?!" Regina gave him a push in her anger and frustration.

"What have I done? What have I done?! A good question; what have I done? Well let's see; I saved a little girl from an abusive relationship with a moron of a mother, I put food in her mouth and clothing on her back, and sent her to a good school. What about you? Did you do anything?"

"Me?"

"Yes, you. I told my daughter to go make friends. I encouraged her to try and form relationships with other children. And so, she did what I said she should have done. And when she came back to me and said the one she had made a friend with was the son of the woman I despise, I said okay, go for it. What did you to when Henry told you that he was friends with her? You told him to get rid of his only friend in the entire world. To go back to being lonely and sad."

"He had me."

"And you think that's enough?! Children need friends. They need something more than their toys and their parents. They need people their own age. People they can relate to, who are on the same level as them. Without that, children become sad and depressed. Before you know it, you're opening up the paper and you see their name on the front page for all the wrong reasons. That's why I let Lily become friends with Henry. Because it was about her and him, not about us. For that same reason, I'm doing this." He said before pulling out his keys and marching to his car. "Come on."

Regina looked at him confusion. "What?"

"Come on. As in come to the car and get inside. You know Henry. I know Lily. We'll put our heads together and, just maybe, we'll find them before something bad happens." Regina really didn't want to. She really really really didn't want to. But the only thing bigger than her pride was her worry for her son. Reluctantly, she got in the car with him.

 

The kids had made it out to the forest. Henry had been so upset with his mother that he ran off. Lily worried for him, so she went with him. After they stopped running, they realized that they didn't have anywhere to go. Thinking for a bit, Lily got an idea of a place.

"So where are we going?" Henry asked.

"Mr. Jefferson's house."

"Where's that?"

"I don't know. I remember talking to him once; I think he lives up on a hill."

"But why are we going there?"

"Because nobody will look for us up at his house." Henry seemed satisfied with this answer, so they kept walking. About three hills later, an idea came into Henry's head.

"So what's this Mr. Jefferson like? Is he nice?"

"I think so. He once came and talked with me and he was really nice, but my daddy says I couldn't talk with him. He said Mr. Jefferson was mixed up in a lot of nonsense, whatever that means. But I think my daddy really does trust Mr. Jefferson in his own way." Lily stopped and turned to face Henry. "But you can never tell with grown-ups can you."

"That's true."

 

Regina and Gold had been driving around looking for the children for a good 10 minutes or so. In such a small town, they'd managed to cover quite a bit of ground. Regina was getting more and more snippy with every single failed attempt at finding them. When they went to the arcade and couldn't find the children, she made a snorting noise; when they went to the ice cream shop and couldn't find them, and after asking Ingrid if she'd seen them today, she made some sort a low growl; and after not finding them the candy store, Gold was pretty sure she could hear the marching band going around inside of her head calling for not only his head, but using swear words the likes of which were not known by man, beast, or even demon.

"Your energy would be much better spent trying to think of somewhere else they could've gone, Regina. Swearing at the world won't get you anything."

"Just shut up, Gold. I need to find my son before your hell spawn corrupts him any more than she already has." Regina said looking out the window with the firm gaze watching the street, looking for any signs of Brown hair or sulfur. That is, of course, until Gold suddenly stopped the car and she went flying forward, only for the seat belt to lock and cause her to come slamming back against the headrest.

"Regina I think we need to come to an understanding."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Regina glared at him through her now messy hair, feeling her hands around her head to make sure it was still attached.

"We need to understand a few things. The first is the fact that I hate you." Regina just scoffed at that, it was kind of obvious that she and him already knew that. "And you hate me. If we were both being honest we probably have only two dreams. One of them for me is you die. I usually wake up smiling when I have that one. And I'm assuming it's the same for you."

The look she was giving him was all the answer he needed. "But then there's a second dream. For me, it's some imaginary true love sitting with my daughter reading in the library by a fireplace on a cold winter night, me with a nice glass of scotch enjoying the absolutely wonderful view of her beautiful legs, while listening to the soft sound of their voices as they read. For you, I'm going to guess it's some nice big strong man, maybe bearing an odd resemblance to the good Sheriff, as he plays ball with your son as you are sending out a lovely picnic or something."

Regina looked at him with a mixture of disgust and awe. The disgust coming from the idea that he would ever be admiring a woman, or she him. The awe was coming from the fact that he was right. If only his cursed persona knew about Daniel, he might be spot on. Along with the idea that Snow White would be hanging from a noose in the tree they were having their picnic under. "What's your point?"

"Which dream do you want to have more? The one where I'm dead or the one where you have Henry? For me, the question is actually rather simple. In fact, there is actually no contest. I want my daughter back. I will get her back by any means necessary, this includes throwing you out of the car and, if necessary, running you over, should I think for even half the second that you are slowing me down. I will hire hundreds, thousands, millions of construction crews, loggers, and miners come and take apart every single square inch of this town down to the bed rock or the lava, whichever comes first. Can you see the same?"

Regina simply glared at him before smiling. "I'd have them to get it done before lunch."

"Good. Then I suggest that you stop grumbling and start thinking. Surely you and Henry have sat down and have had a talk or two about your day. You complaining about filing and paperwork, and Henry saying just how much fun his last finger painting was. He must have mentioned at least once or twice some special place, or some location that comes up more often."

Regina racked her brain for any name or place that Henry would've gone to. Someone or something to provide some comfort, but the sad truth was that she couldn't. She and Henry did talk about his day, but it was always the more superficial things. She said hi, he said hi. She asked him about his day, he said it was good. He then inserted something about learning how to count by twos or tie his shoes. They never talked about deep emotional anything, or as deep and emotional as you get with a five-year-old.

"Well, we've checked all the obvious places. How about the park?" He said getting out of the car to walk towards that particular area.

"Good as any place I suppose." Regina got out the car to follow him.

 

It took them a little while until Lily finally saw a giant house upon a hill. She somehow just knew it belonged to Mr. Jefferson. So for the last few minutes, they had been slowly making their way there. Henry suddenly broke the silence.

"How do you do it?" Lily was confused for a moment.

"Do what?"

"Be so open and honest with your dad? Everybody in town thinks my mom is only half as scary and mean as him. We both think our parents are a little scary but nice, but you and your dad know and talk about everything. My mommy and me never talk." Lily had to think for a moment. She had never really thought about it before. She just felt comfortable around him to tell him anything. She enjoyed talking to him.

"'Cause I know that no matter what, Daddy will never get mad or hurt me. What about your mommy?"

"I know she won't hurt me."

"Do you think she'll get mad?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I know he won't get mad. If he does get mad, he still won't hurt me like my mommy did. He did once and he was really sad about it."

"He did?!" Henry was very surprised at this. He never thought Mr. Gold would hurt Lily. She had only ever spoken fondly of him. Never once did she mention that he hurt her, even on accident.

"Your mommy had saved me from a car and he found out. He got really mad and squeezed my arm too hard. He felt bad about it. I think he's still sad about it."

"Wow."

"Yeah. He promised after that he'd never do it again and he never did. So I know I can talk to him about anything and he won't do anything bad or scary."

 

As Regina and Gold were looking for the children on foot, Gold could almost feel the questions flying around in Regina's head. "If you want to know something, just ask."

"How do you do it? Of all the people in this town, how can you manage to pull it off?"

"Be a little more specific, dearie. How do I boil and egg? How do I get my suits so they have no wrinkles? How do I get away with murder?"

"How is it that of all the people in this town, you have the best relationship with your daughter of any of them? You, the biggest bastard and monster of this town? How is that even possible?"

"Do I detect either jealousy or a complement hidden in there somewhere?" She scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Of course not. I'm...curious."

"I will consider this payment for you're saving Lily's life so long ago." Regina didn't do much more then nod, but it was there. "Trust is the key. I told Lily that no matter what, I'd never get mad at her if she told me the truth, and I never have. I've always been willing to listen, and she's never felt the need to hide anything from me."

"But how did you get it started?" If this was the Enchanted Forest, Rose would just tell him anything because he was there. If he was anywhere around, she would start up a conversation. She took any opportunity she could to talk to her Papa. In Storybrooke, it was a different story. He had to remember back when Lily first started coming to his shop after their first meeting.

"Silence. Really that's all it was. When she would come into me shop to spend the day, I would tell her about my day while we ate. And after that, we would sit in silence. It must have been uncomfortable or she just wanted to talk to someone because she had no one else to talk to, but she would just start talking, and I would listen. Eventually she told me about her hopes, dreams, and fears and trusted me."

"So what? Are you saying I should just sit in silence with Henry and wait for him to get so uncomfortable that he starts talking?"

"Don't you already do that?"

"No."

"So at dinner, you talk all about mayor things the whole time?"

"No, I have work."

"There's your problem. Drink a cup of coffee and work after. At dinner, focus on him. Let him see that you are open and approachable, or as much as you can do that, and he will open up. And don't force it. If he wants to talk about his newest imaginary friend, be interested. If you're not, learn to be. Let him know that you find everything he does interesting and he will eventually open up. And then maybe you can find some common ground. Maybe the Transformers cartoon will be your new pass time show, maybe you'll learn to love Legos."

"Really? Legos?"

"Can't be any harder than learning to love to play with Prince Shares-a-lot and Princess Self-Respectra."

"Ouch."

"Yep."

 

When Lily knocked on the door of the big house, Jefferson instantly opened the door. "Lily, how are you? Long time. Your father's not here, is he?"

"No." Jefferson then swung the door open wide.

"Then welcome to my humble home." The two children entered the large house. Henry looked up at the dark-clothed man.

"Why did you want to know if Mr. Gold was here?" He chuckled.

"Because last time I wanted to say hi to Lily, he said I'd lose my head again if I ever did again. But he never said Lilly couldn't visit." He then turned to Lily. "So, how have you been? Old Gold isn't being to mean, is he?"

"No. He's great."

"Well that's good. I'd hate for Gold not to be doing good. It's bad for my health." Henry was intrigued by the strange man.

"Really?"

"Well yes. If Gold is doing bad, that means Regina is having a good day. And if Regina's having a good day, well, that's not good for anyone." Henry thought that he should be offended, but he wasn't. He knew most of the town didn't like his mom. He had learned to accept it.

"That's my mom." Jefferson just looked at the young boy, a mixture of wonder and fear and a few other emotions the young man couldn't place. He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"I am so sorry."

 

"She's not really all that bad you know." By then, the two of them were just walking around town, hoping that by some miracle they might find the children. Regina was surprised and confused by his random comment.

"Who's not?"

"Lily. Most people would consider her an angel incarnated." Regina scoffed, as she found that hard to believe.

"I don't think that's possible. She was raised by you."

"The same could be said for Henry by most people in this town. You know that as well as I do." Gold said giving Regina a knowing look. Regina's only response was to keep walking, but he knew that deep deep down she agreed with him. "Would you like to know the one thing I don't know?"

Regina spun around and looked at him in shock. She would greatly like to know the one thing he would admit to not knowing. "Yes?"

"I honestly do not know how it is Lily turned out the way she did. Her father or someone in her family must have been the Saint-est Saint in all of Saints-dom. They must've had kindness the likes of which we will never know with their very souls. It's the only thing that makes sense. I'd like to think that perhaps, if I'm extremely lucky, I will have taught Lily right from wrong; the differences between good and evil; how to be loving and kind in a way that is not corrupted and perverted beyond all belief. But I know that odds are that's not true. But somehow, she has managed to come through life undamaged, with the true kindness, generosity, and love for her fellow man that I cannot possibly take credit for. I think that we can both agree that considering who her mother was, and how she treated Lily, that she is definitely not to blame for the kindness and goodness inside of her own daughter."

This caused Regina's jaw to drop. "No, I may not be the best father, and you might not be the best mother. Yet somehow both of those children have managed to not become miniature versions of us. They somehow managed to look at a situation where someone is hurt and think how they can help, not how it can be exploited. And obviously we cannot take credit for how this happened. We truly know anything about it other than it's true. So I might like to make one small suggestion, if you're interested?"

Regina simply nodded.

"Let's bury this one hatchet, and not in the other person's back. We could keep bickering back and forth, you waking up every morning thinking about whether or not you'd like to stab me with the kitchen knife or poison me with an apple pie. And I can sit back and daydream about just how wonderful your brains splattered against a wall somewhere after I hit your head with my cane like a piñata. But in the case of those two children, let them have their friend. It won't do us any good trying keep them apart. Who knows? Maybe they'll go tired one another. Or maybe one day young Henry will be asking me for her hand in marriage and I will have to close my eyes and not vomit that the idea of knowing you as a sister-in-law. But why not we let them be the judges of this?"

Regina simply stood back and forward her arms, regarding him with an air of caution. "You daydream about turning me into a piñata?"

"Often." He said smiling. "You dream of stabbing me or poisoning me?"

"Often." She also smiled. She thought back to the Enchanted Forest. The days of Rumpelstiltskin and the Evil Queen. "This is just like the good old days. You and I on the same side, wheeling and dealing and trying to figure out whether or not the box had the poison or the cookie. Thinly veiled threats to downright promises of open warfare. Whatever happened to that?"

Gold also smiled. He knew that she was thinking of back in the olden days of teacher and student relations. And had to suppress a giggle that was building in him, knowing that she didn't know that he knew that she was thinking of it. "You became wiser and a great deal stupider at the same time. And I simply realize the truth before you did."

"And what truth is that?"

"That you and I cannot coexist as friends. We're far more compatible and useful toward one another as enemies."

"Is that so?"

"Oh yes. Besides, your enemies have far longer lifespans than your friends. And I trust enemies far more than I trust friends. At least with enemies, I know for a fact they're holding a knife that are waiting to slit my throat."

"And your friends?"

"I think you and I both know that our friends are just people who haven't decided to be our enemies yet." Regina stood there smiling for a minute. It was very rare, these moments of understanding between the two of them. They weren't exactly touching or even that kind, but there was always something about them that was extremely reassuring, and terrifying, about them. Peeling back the layers and layers of innuendos and meanings, each word meaning more than what was said, a threat in the complement world and one.

"Very well." And with that, they continued walking. Silent agreement between the two that yes, their children could be friends or enemies or whatever else they happen to become. But that their relationship didn't change one bit.

 

"I believe I promised you a tour of my hat collection last time I saw you, didn't I?" Jefferson said to Lily as he handed her a cup of tea. "Come this way. I'll show you. You're going to love them. Each one of them I designed myself. Each one unique and yet exactly the same."

When they got to the hat room both Lily and Henry were amazed. There was shelf upon shelf of the hats. The entire wall lined with dummy heads holding top hats. As Lily looked around the room, she noticed that every single hat looked almost exactly the same. There was a minor flourish here, a small decoration layer, or maybe a different colored ribbon on one or two of them, but for the most part they were all the same top. Henry looked around the wall display.

"This is cool." Jefferson went over to the case.

"Would you both like to have one?" He pushed the glass open and took out two hats. "These ones are identical, I made absolutely certain of it."

"Wow."

"Cool." He said handing them to the children.

"Do either of you know the legend of the Hat Maker?"

"No."

"No."

"The story goes that there was once a hat maker who had a young daughter. He loved her very very much, and she loved him. The daughter loved to play dress-up, so she would always ask her father to make hats and clothes so that she might dress-up her guests. Her guests, of course, being her stuffed animals. And the father, of course, love to do this. He would have her play in his shop so that the customers might see all the wonderful things he had created, and was occasionally asked to make clothing other than hats for younger children or even the occasional adult. And many young children would beg their parents to buy some of the clothing that was made for the daughter stuffed animals.

"The father was glad to sell anything to any customer, but the one thing he would never sell was the matching hats. These were hats that he had taken special care to make absolutely perfect and identical in every single way. Measuring the thread 10 times and marking each stitch with 12 different rulers to make sure that everything was exact. The father wore one hat, and his daughter the other."

"That's a nice gift." Jefferson smiled at the young girl's comment.

"Yes it was. One day, the evil King came to the hat maker's home. He had seen the daughter in the marketplace and wanted take her for his wife. Now, the hat maker was very afraid. No one in the entire land could refuse the King anything, under the threat of death. But he also knew that the King had seven wives before his daughter. And that every time he saw a girl that was more beautiful than his current wife, he would lock that wife up in the dungeon to die.

"The hat maker was terribly sad when the King took his daughter. The only thing she had to remember her father by was the hat she always kept with her. And every night, they would cry knowing that they could never see one another again, their tears falling on the hats that they held to their chest as they cried."

"That's so sad." Henry said.

"Very sad. One day, the King told his wife that she would be sent to up to the tower. The daughter pleaded with the King in the hopes that he might reconsider. But the King was unmoved by her tears and had her sent up to the tower. The daughter barely had enough time to grab her hat to take with her. While up in the tower, she cried and begged for her father to come and save her.

"When news reached the hat maker that the King had taken a new wife, he went home and wept for his daughter, begging that she might be able to come back to him. And then, his hat began to glow. It glowed so brightly that became warm to the touch and the hat maker had to drop it. It then began spinning, faster and faster and faster, until it became like a tornado. The daughter's hat had done the same thing. And knowing that there was nothing left for her in the Castle, she leapt into the hat which had become almost as large as the room.

"And out she flew with her father's waiting arms. And they embraced and wept and laughed for joy at being reunited. They then left that kingdom and traveled, using the hats to go to another realm entirely. There, the daughter married a nice young man, and they had a son. And once the hat maker died, his hat went to his daughter, and when she died the hat went to her son.

"And thus the magic hat, forged out of love and sadness between a father and his child, was able to travel throughout all the realms and worlds. And when the grandson of the hat maker was old enough, he to took the hat and began his journey through the realms, looking for true love." Jefferson finished his story with a smile. "What did you guys think?"

"It was a great story, Mr. Jefferson." Lily said.

"Yeah, I loved it." Henry said. "My mom doesn't let me watch or read about fairy tales."

"What a terribly sad thing. It is said that fairy tales show us the truth so hidden that no one but the very bravest and wisest of us can understand. And even fewer have the power to believe in it." Jefferson said smiling and then he placed the hats on the two children's heads. "You keep these, and remember that story. And one day, who knows? Maybe they'll let you travel the realms and find true love."

"But we don't love each other, so we can't make it work." Henry said.

"Yeah. The hats were made because they were really sad and the daddy really loved his daughter." Lily said.

"There are many kinds of love. That was just one kind. Maybe these hats will be different, maybe they'll be the same. Maybe one day they'll be what brings you both back together after you've lost each other, or maybe that's just a crazy old story from a crazy old man." Jefferson said getting down on one knee so he can look them both the eye. "Or maybe it doesn't matter either way, who knows." He said, and using his pointer finger he poked his nose twice. "Who. Knows?" He said smiling. "Only you can answer that one, because all that matters is whether or not you believe."

"Believe in what?" They asked.

"Believe in magic, of course." The two children looked to each other, considering the odd man's words. Lily gave Henry a knowing smile. "Now, it's getting late. You kids should get home. Your parents will be wondering where you are."

 

After a long day searching, Gold decided to go home. It was the only possible place at Lily could be, because of the center of the earth it was the only place he hadn't checked. Tomorrow at dawn, he would call the contractors to begin tearing down every building. That is, of course, until he found the light on in the kitchen and Lily sitting there eating strawberries. She saw him and gave him a big smile.

"Hi, Daddy." Gold was certain he was going to be angry. In fact, he had every intention of being downright disappointed. But for the moment, he just flung his arms around his little girl. He wanted to hug her so much that she would fused to him so that he would never have to worry about losing her again.

"Oh, Lily. My darling flower." She heard his voice cracking and knew he was upset. He was worried about her. She was so worried about Henry running off on his own that she didn't think about how her daddy would feel if she up and left him like that. She could only assume that he was worried sick about her the entire day and probably tore the town apart to find her. She returned his hug.

"I'm sorry, Daddy. I love you."

"I love you too, flower. Please. Don't ever leave me like that again."

"I won't. I promise." He was so happy he had his daughter back that he didn't notice a very familiar hat sitting in the corner. And it went unnoticed for quite some time.

 

Regina also went home, planning to call the wood cutters in the morning to start chopping down the forest. She also came home to find the kitchen light on and her son eating a piece of pie. He saw her and felt that he was in for it.

"Hi, Mommy." Regina knew that in the morning, they would have a very serious discussion. And that by the time Henry ever saw the sun again, he would not only be grown up, but so would his great-great-grandchildren. Though, for the moment, all she wanted to do was hold him. She pulled him close to her and hugged her precious son.

"My God, Henry. I'm so glad you're safe." She now had her chance to make things right. No longer would she have to lose her son again. Things were going to change. When she got done hugging him, she pulled up a chair and sat in front of him. She took his hands in hers and looked him in the eye. "Henry, I know that I haven't been fair to you. I tried to keep you from your only friend and that's not fair of me. I want you to be happy, so...I've decided that I will allow you to be friends with Lily Gold."

"R-Really?" Henry couldn't believe his ears. Did his mom really just say those words.

"Yes. I don't want you to hate me or be afraid of me. I'm your mother and my number one priority is your well-being. I want you to be open with me all the time. I don't want you to fear me. You can tell me anything and I promise not to get mad. You can be honest with me and I'll be honest with you. Do you think...we can have that?" It was exactly what Henry wanted. He wanted the same kind of relationship with his mom that Lily had with her dad. He wanted to be closer with his mom. She did adopt him and saved him from being alone. There was no reason they couldn't have that kind of relationship. He hugged her again.

"Yeah, Mom. I want that." Regina smiled and hugged her son. She wouldn't ruin this. She was going to let her son be happy no matter what. She pulled away from him and smiled.

"So, Henry, how was your day?" Smiling, Henry opened up and talked to his mother. His hat went unnoticed in the corner as well.

 

And Jefferson was simply sitting at home and his telescope, watching Grace have dinner with her "parents". Normally, such a site would feel him with equal measures of extreme sadness, longing, and joy that she was all right. But tonight the only emotion he felt was happiness. Seeing young Lily was an unexpected but welcome treat. If he didn't know any better, which he did, he would say she was growing. Which meant that somehow, in some way, the curse was weakening around her. It may have been her locket.

He did truly hope of the children enjoyed the story. After all, it wasn't every day he got to tell the story of his grandfather, his mother, and the magical hats. He just hoped that the ones he'd given the children would have similar results. They certainly loved one another as friends, and sooner or later, their parents would do something, or at least Regina would, to make them long for their friend. And over the course of five years, they might be able to slowly link the hats together. And then when the Savior came and finally broke the curse, it wouldn't matter if he had his hat. Those hats might just work as well.

Then he could finally go home. That thought made him want to smile like a sane man for the first time in who knows how many years.


	20. Chapter 20

After their disappearance stunt, Lily and Henry were both still punished. Henry got his video games and TV taken away for a week. Lily also got her TV taken for a week. They didn't care because they were finally allowed to be friends. Mr. Gold and Regina still like the idea of having to deal with each other more than they wanted, but they put up with each other for their children. The last thing they both wanted was to lose them again.

Mr. Gold continued to notice changes in Lily over the next month. She was growing more and more intelligent each day. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but he didn't like the idea of his little girl growing up just yet. It wasn't time for her to grow up yet. She was to stay the same. At least until the curse was broken. He wasn't ready for her to grow up yet.

"Daddy?" He was brought from his thoughts by his young daughter. He was doing paperwork in his office at the shop. Lily had been coloring in one of her coloring books with Lady napping next to her.

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"Are you sad?" He was confused at the question.

"Why do you ask?"

"Because you look sad. When you work, you always look mad or really really focused. You look sad now. Are you sad?" He didn't realize he was making a sad face. He always did his best to hide his emotions when he was thinking. That, along with most of his other habits, went out the window when it came to the girl. He wasn't really sad as he was worried and slightly confused. He could barely say he was sad. Or at least that's what he told himself. He smiled at her in hopes to reassure her.

"No, darling. I'm not sad. I was just thinking. Nothing to worry yourself about." Lily didn't believe him. She knew her daddy enough to know his true emotions. He was sad and he didn't want her to know. She got up from her spot and walked over to him. He straightened up and watched her approach him. She climbed in his lap and hugged him. He was stunned for a moment before he returned the hug. They sat there in silence, just hugging each other.

"Are you because of me?" Gold was thrown off guard. Was she a mind reader? She was a seer in her past life, but that was something different.

"Of course not. What would make you think that?"

"Because I ran away with Henry. I made you scared because I left. I wasn't running away from you." He was still surprised of how observant and intelligent the child was sometimes.

"I know, flower. You were worried about your friend. I understand. I'm not upset with you." He really wasn't upset with her. He was scared out of his mind when she was gone. He was never once angry with her. He worried for her safety. It reminded him of the first time he lost her. On her birthday in the Enchanted Forest when she was chased by an angry mob. She was saved by her hunchback friend, but he still worried for her. He even thought of killing every one of the villagers that tried to hurt her, but getting her back home was more important.

"I won't leave again. I promise. I'll be with you forever because I love you." Her words struck his blackened heart. He wanted to believe her. He knew that she loved him, but even she couldn't be with him forever. Especially now that she was growing up and becoming more observant. Soon, she would learn of the real him. She would see the Dark One and the monster he truly was. She would leave him. She would hate him. Just like Baelfire did. Lily looked up at him and her bright emerald eyes widened in horror.

"Don't cry, Daddy! I really won't leave! I promise!" Gold didn't even realize that he was crying until she said something. He felt the hot tears fall down his cheeks. It was rare that he ever cried in front of her. He never wanted her to see him like that.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. It's okay. That's not why I'm crying." Her bright eyes were filled with worry.

"Why are you crying, then?" He couldn't mention Baelfire to her. She wouldn't remember who he was. She certainly wouldn't remember the other times he almost lost her. She wouldn't remember that either. He couldn't tell her of anything from the Enchanted Forest, yet he couldn't lie to her.

"I suppose...I'm just afraid of losing you. You're growing up so fast and I'm just not prepared for it."

"But isn't growing up a good thing?"

"Yes, it is, sweetheart. Growing up is apart of life and everyone has to do it sooner or later, but that's not what I mean. As a parent, it's hard watching your child grow up and change from what you're used to. Before you know it, they'll be all grown up and leave you behind. They'll be out of your life before you know it, but you'll have to let them. You can't keep them locked away. Soon, you'll have to let go of your child, but that doesn't make it easy." Lily didn't completely understand, but she knew it was because she wasn't a parent. She was still just a child, but she knew her father loved her and didn't want to lose her. She didn't want to lose him either.

"So, I'll just stop growing, then you won't have to worry about losing me." He chuckled at the naive little girl.

"It doesn't work that way, sweetheart. You can't stop growing. It's apart of life. There's nothing you can do about it." Before she could respond, the bell over the door rang, indicating someone entered the store. After drying his tears, he lifted Lily from his lap and placed her on the floor. "We'll finish this later, flower."

He stood from his chair and went out to the shop, leaving Lily to her thoughts. Her daddy didn't want her to grow up. It made him sad that she was. She thought he would be happy, but he wasn't. Lily hated to think that she made her daddy sad. It was rare that ever happened, but when it did, it broke her heart. How could she make him happy again? She thought on this. What could she do?

 

Later that night after Gold put Lily to bed, she patiently waited for him to go to bed. Around 1:00 am, she quietly got up and dressed herself. She packed her bag and crept out of her room. She went to Gold's room to make sure he was actually sleeping. He had a habit of sometimes working late in his home office. After seeing he was indeed sleeping, she made her way down the stairs and out the back door. It was the night when she would go see her mother. After giving Nurse Nancy her bribe of peanut butter fudge, she went to her mother's room.

"Hi, Mommy." Once again, Portia groaned and rolled her eyes at the child.

"Why do you keep coming back? Even when you're not mine anymore, you're still a pain in my ass!" Lily ignored her mother's venomous words as she began brushing out her hair.

"Daddy is sad because of me."

"Good! It means he finally realized how unnecessary you are. Maybe he'll toss aside like the piece of trash you are."

"No. He's sad because I'm growing up. He doesn't like it. I don't like making him sad."

"I know what you can do!"

"Really? What?"

"Fall off a cliff. Then, you'll never grow up." Lily sighed. She still didn't understand why her mother hated her so much and she figured she never would. No matter what she did, she could never please the woman. Many times, she thought it wasn't worth her time to visit her, but she kept coming back. She still cared and loved her no matter what she did in the past.

"I know what I'm going to do. That's why I can't stay too long." She put her long raven hair in a high ponytail. "Okay, I'm done. Do you want some fudge before I leave?"

"No! I don't want anything from you, you little brat! I tell you the same thing every time you ask me! You are so hard-headed!" Lily would've just accepted a simple 'no', but of course Portia would never settle for for that. She had to insult the child any chance she got.

"Fine. Bye." She left the room and locked the door. She then went to the next door. She pulled over the stool and climbed up to the small window. "Hello? Are you there?"

"Yes. I'm here." Lily took the fudge wrapped in a napkin and put it through the window.

"It's peanut butter fudge. I hope you like it. Me and Daddy made it together." The mystery woman took the treat from the girl.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. I can't stay too long. I gotta go do something."

"I heard. I'm not sure what you're going to do, but whatever it is, make sure it's not something reckless and be careful."

"It's not and I will. Thank you. Oh! What do you want for next time?" The woman thought for a moment.

"Nothing in particular. As long as it has chocolate." Lily giggled. She didn't know much about the woman, but she knew she sure did love her chocolate.

"Okay. I'll make sure it has lots of chocolate for you."

"Thanks, Lily. Remember to be careful."

"I will. Bye." She got down from the stool and put it back in it's place. She left the hospital and made her way into the forest. After fifteen minutes of searching, she found what she was looking for. The well. The same well she wished she could always be friends with Henry. Maybe she could wish to stop growing or to make her daddy happy. She didn't really know what to wish for. If she wished to stop growing, then Henry would feel alone growing up while she stayed the same. If she didn't, her daddy would still be sad. What could she do?

"Well, fancy seeing you out here." Lily jumped at the sudden voice. She turned and saw Jefferson.

"Mr. Jefferson! What are you doing here?" He walked over and stood beside her.

"I should be asking you that. What are you doing out here in the middle of the night? You didn't run away again, did you?"

"No, I didn't. I just came to make a wish in the well." He chuckled.

"A wish, huh? You certainly came a special well for that."

"I know. Daddy told me all about it and it works! It really can make wishes come true!" Jefferson was intrigued. He knew the truth about the well and it's significance. Could she really get it to grant wishes?

"What do you mean? How do you know?"

"Because I wished on it before. I wished that Henry and I will always be friends no matter what and now I'm growing faster." So, that's what it was. He did notice the child growing, but couldn't quite figure out how she was able to manipulate the dark magic of the curse. Was the well all that he needed?

"Really? That's very interesting. How did you do it? You have to give the well something for it to grant your wish. What did you give it?" She unclasped her locket and held it up.

"This. I dropped it in the well and made my wish. When I woke up the next day, it was back and I started growing faster." So it was the locket, he thought. If she could tear a rift in the curse around her, maybe she could break it just as easily. She could send him back home with his daughter, Grace. All of it could be over with just a wish, but how could he get her to wish it? Her magic responds to her thoughts and desires. She would have to want the curse to break. Even if he told her about it, she would probably see it as just another fairy tale.

"Interesting. I wish I had something that valuable to give the well, but sadly I don't. I really want to make a wish too, but I don't think the well would like anything I give it. And I really only have one thing I truly want that I can't have." Lily was intrigued.

"What is it?" He had her.

"Well, I just want my daughter back." The young girl was surprised. She didn't know he had a daughter. She didn't see anyone besides him when she went to his house and there were no pictures of her anywhere.

"You have a daughter?"

"Yes, but she doesn't remember me. I want her to and I want her to come home. Unfortunately, I don't thing that will happen anytime soon." Lily saw how sad he was about his daughter. It reminded her of her own daddy. She couldn't imagine how upset and heart broken he would be if she ever forgot about him. Or if he sudden forgot about her. She would be devastated if that ever happened.

"Maybe I can wish it for you! Maybe the well can make two wishes come true at the same time!" It wasn't the response he was expecting and was curious. He didn't think the well worked that way. One item equals one wish. He then thought about it. Considering that the magic contained in her locket was stronger than the Dark One's, it was a possibility that it could work.

"I'm not sure it would work, but there's no harm in trying."

"Okay." She went to drop her locket, but stopped short.

"What's wrong?"

"I still don't know what to wish for. I made my first wish for Henry. If I make this wish for Daddy, then Henry will be sad. I don't know what my wish is." Jefferson thought about this. She was no threat to him and was trying to help him out of kindness. And he actually liked the little girl. He could at least help her out.

"How about this? You can ask the well to figure out a way so you'll always be close with your friend and your daddy can be happy. I'm sure it can make it happen."

"Will that work?"

"Only one way to find out." Lily hovered her locket over the well. She closed her eyes and made her two wishes. She then released the locket and let it drop into the waters below. After a few moments, nothing happened. "Now what?"

"I dunno. Last time, I just went home after I made my wish. Maybe the well needs more time since it was two wishes."

"I guess you're..." He was interrupted by a loud bubbling noise. He and Lily looked down into the well. It was too dark to see anything, but the bubbling grew louder. Suddenly, a large dark purple cloud quickly rose from the depths of the well. It knocked them both back and to the ground. They watched as the thick cloud rose from the well and spread out around it. The cloud then surrounded Lily. "Lily!"

He ran towards the cloud to pull her out, but it shocked him and shot him back. He watched as the thick cloud engulfed the small child. Moments later, the cloud dissipated and Lily was revealed lying on the ground. Jefferson immediately got up and ran over to check on her. "Lily? Are you okay?"

"Yeah. That felt really weird." He helped her to her feet and checked her for any injuries. As he checked her, he noticed her locket was back around her neck.

"Hey, your locket. Does that mean it worked?" She looked down and saw her locket. She ran her fingers over it and it glowed a bright pink.

"Woah." He reached for the locket and lifted it to examine it. As he touched it, it glowed brighter and he flinched back as it burned his finger. Lily didn't feel the burned as it rested back on her chest. When it stopped glowing, the imprint of a curvy knife was engraved on the heart. Jefferson's eyes widened in shock. He knew that object anywhere. It was the Dark One's dagger. "What's that? That didn't happen last time. I gotta tell Daddy about this!"

"No!" Lily jumped in surprise. Jefferson cleared his throat and knelt down to her level. "You can't tell anyone about what just happened, especially your dad."

"Why not?"

"Well...Because no one would believe you. I mean, would you? It seems crazy and made up, doesn't it?" Lily thought for a moment and he was right. If someone told her that, she wouldn't believe it. She was all for anything is possible if you believe, but even she knew there was a limit.

"I guess not."

"Exactly. This can be our little secret, okay?"

"Okay, but can I tell Henry? We tell each other everything." The only thing worse that the Dark One knowing about the situation was the Evil Queen knowing. Who knows what she would do to Lily if she found out.

"No. Not even Henry. We keep this between us, alright?" She didn't like it. She always shared secrets with Henry. He never told anyone their secrets, not even his own mom. She trusted him, but Mr. Jefferson really didn't want anyone to know about what happened.

"Okay. I promise I won't tell anyone." She lifted up her pinky. "Pinky Promise."

"Alright. Pinky Promise." He locked his pinky with hers. He smiled as he stood up. "Alright. It's late. You should be getting back home. I can drive you if you want."

"No, thank you. I don't want Daddy waking up. I can walk from here."

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Plus, the sky is really pretty. I like looking at the stars when I walk." He chuckled. Only a child could find such wonder and beauty in the world no matter what. She reminded him of Grace when she was Lily's age. He missed his daughter terribly. He could only hope that the well granted his wish and Grace would be back with him. Only time will tell.

"Alright then. Have a safe trip back."

"I will. Bye, Mr. Jefferson." She left the woods and went back home. Jefferson turned and made his way back to his home.


	21. Chapter 21

As much as Lily hated it, she kept the secret about what happened at the well. She really wanted to tell Gold and Henry that she witnessed magic first hand, but she promised Mr. Jefferson that she wouldn't tell them. She hoped his wish came true too. She never knew he had a daughter. Maybe if she remembered him and went back home, she could meet her. Lily forgot to ask how or why his daughter lost her memory of him. She also wondered who she was. She didn't even know her name. She thought about asking Mr. Jefferson next time she saw him, even though she wasn't supposed to be talking to him at all. She wondered if her own wish would come true. She just wanted her daddy and Henry to be happy. How would her wish work out? She wondered this and couldn't wrap her mind around how it would happen. All she could do was wait for something to happen.

Months went by and school was let out for the summer. Lily was happy because she got to spend more time with Henry. Since their parents finally let them be friends, they could have play dates. Sometimes Ms. Mills would drop Henry off at her house or Mr. Gold would drop Lily off at his house. Sometimes they would meet at the park. Lily was still trying to convince Gold for them to go to the beach, but he wasn't budging just yet. That day, she and Gold were meeting Henry and Regina at the park. Lily brought Lady so she could get out of the house. Henry loved playing with Lady and Regina wouldn't let him get his own dog. When they pulled up to the park, Henry and Regina were already there. Henry was on the jungle gym while Regina sat one of the benches. Seeing her friend, Lily rushed out of the car over to him, Lady right on her heels.

"Henry!" He saw her running over and waved at her.

"Hey Lily!" Gold parked the car and got out to see his daughter and Henry talking. They then ran over to the clearing to play with Lady. He made his way over to the bench where Regina was. She looked up at him with one of her fake smiles.

"Gold."

"Ms. Mills. Mind if I have a seat?" She gestured to it.

"Not at all." He took a seat at the end of the bench. They sat in silence as they watched their children play. It was usually that way. They only put up with each other for the sake of their children. Neither one of them wanted another disappearance act.

"How are things with your boy?" Regina glared at him for a moment, before smiling.

"They're fine. Henry's very open with me now. Things are better than ever." He smirked, while never turning to face her.

"That's good. I think he'll grow into a fine young man now." She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Are you saying he wouldn't have before?"

"I'm just saying he'll be better now that he has a bond with you." He turned and smiled at her. "He'll need that in his life."

"Really?"

"Yes. There's nothing more important to a child than a bond with their parents. Since he only has you, the bond is only that much more important to him. All a child wants is to be loved unconditionally. The first person to give them that unconditional love should be their parents, especially their mother. Even in your case since he isn't your biological son."

"He's still my son!"

"That he is and he knows that. You're the only mother he's ever known. He may never know his birth mother and he may not want to know her. If that's the case, you have to give him all the love you can."

"I've always given my son unconditional love. Ever since I adopted him, he's been my number one priority."

"Oh, I don't doubt that." She glared at him again before smirking.

"And what about you? You're raising Lily on your own and her real mother wasn't much of one. How do you think she'll turn out?" Gold froze. He had mostly raised her alone back in the Dark Castle and she turned out better than he ever hoped. When Belle came along and acted as her mother, she was even better if that was even possible. Because of the curse, he was back to raising her alone. How would she turn out without the mother that she didn't even remember? He feared for his child's well-being, but he didn't let Regina see his fear. He simply chuckled and smirked as he turned his attention back to the playing children.

"Only time will tell. Single fathers aren't odd occurrences. It all depends on how you raise the child. When they grow up, they're never the same as when they're children. They start to absorb more of their surroundings as they grow. They seek out other role models besides their parents. They find out more about their own interests. They're only children. They have a long way to go."

 

Henry and Lily were running around playing fetch with Lady. After a while, they got tired and sat on the ground to take a break. Lady laid down next to Lily, panting heavily. Lily giggled and patted her head.

"Good girl, Lady." Henry smiled.

"I wish I had a dog. I want a big dog like Dr. Hopper has."

"Yeah! Pongo's fun to play with! Lady is friends with him! They play together when we go on walks."

"Do you think dogs talk to each other?"

"Sure! How else would they make friends?"

"You're right!" They laughed and talked about what dogs might think about. They then talked about what they could do over the summer before school starts back up. They talked about sleepovers, days in the park, and try to get Gold to let them go to the beach. Lily could only guess he didn't want to go because of his ankle. Sand couldn't have been easy to walk on for him. She looked over to the bench and saw her daddy and Ms. Mills talking. They didn't look angry and they weren't yelling at each other. They were just talking.

"Hey Henry. Look." Henry looked over and saw the same thing.

"They're being nice to each other."

"Looks like it. I think it's good that they can be nice to each other. It was really scary when they were mean all the time."

"Yeah. You think they can be friends?" Lily shrugged her shoulders.

"I dunno. Daddy doesn't really have friends. He says he can't trust people and no one trusts him. I don't know if they can be friends. They're really only being nice to each other 'cause of us." Henry nodded in agreement. If it weren't for them, their parents never would've even considered being friends.

"Yeah, you're right."

"But I think it would be nice for Daddy to make a friend. A friend might make him happy. The only person that's kinda his friend is Mr. Jefferson, but he doesn't really like him that much. Maybe him and your mom can learn to like each other. Maybe they can be friends one day." Henry smiled.

"That'd be pretty cool, but I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't happen."

"Me neither, but we can hope!" Lily stomach growled. It was loud enough for Henry to hear and laugh. She laughed too.

"Somebody's hungry."

"Yeah. Me and Daddy brought snacks. You want some?"

"Okay. We brought snacks too. We can share them." They got up and went over to their parents for snacks.


	22. Chapter 22

Since it was summer and Lily didn't have school, Gold always brought her to the shop with him. Sometimes, if she asked, he would take her to the animal shelter with Victor. This became routine year after year. Gold feared that would change since Lily herself was growing. Luckily, it didn't, but he did notice something off about his daughter. At first, he noticed her physically and mentally growing. A few months ago, that stopped. She was still reading and gaining more intellect, yet she stopped physically growing. This confused him even more. Was there something going on with the curse? Even if it was near the time for The Savior showed up, the curse wasn't supposed to weaken until she stepped foot in town. Another question was why was Lily the only one being affected? There was no reason for this happening. Gold couldn't figure out what was happening.

A few months went by and Lily was back in school. Since there wasn't much time with her growing and she didn't turned six yet, she was still in kindergarten. Lily was a bit upset since Henry was now in first grade. She assumed that her wish didn't come true. Maybe that was why the well did what it did. That still didn't explain the dagger on her locket. Luckily, Gold didn't notice it and didn't ask about it. Maybe Mr. Jefferson's wish didn't come true either. She hadn't seen him since that night. When she went to visit her mom, she would sometimes go to see him, but he was never home. She didn't know why and couldn't find him. She wanted to know if he had his daughter back or not.

"Lily?" The child looked up from her drawing to her teacher.

"Yes, Ms. Lacey?" Her teacher knelt down to her level.

"Sweetheart, I need to ask you something."

 

Mr. Gold was in his shop doing paperwork when his phone began to ring. It was Lily's teacher calling him to set up a Parent-Teacher meeting after school to talk about Lily. This was new for him. Lily's teacher never called for a meeting before. If anything, everyone was still very much intimidated and scared of him. What could she possibly want to meet with him about? Lily wasn't a troublesome child, so it couldn't have been that. He didn't know what to think. He agreed to the meeting and hung up. He continued to figure out what the meeting was to be about. He would soon find out as he got up to go to the school. He pulled up to the school and parked his car. He walked into the building and saw Lily with her teacher. Lily smiled as she saw her father. She got up and ran over to hug him.

"Daddy!" He chuckled and hugged her back.

"Hello, Lily. How was your day?"

"It was fun!"

"Good." He turned his attention to her teacher. "Now, why was I called down here? I am a very busy man."

"Yes, Mr. Gold. Um...Lily, why don't you go out to the playground while I speak with your father?"

"Okay!" She grabbed her bag and ran out the door. Once she was gone, Mr. Gold addressed the teacher again. He could see the slight fear in her eyes.

"Now, what is this about?"

"Please. Have a seat." She gestured to the chair in front of her desk. He limped over to the chair and took a seat. "First, I would like to thank you for being able to make it. I know how busy you must be and I don't want to waste your time."

"Then get to the point. Why am I here?"

"Right! Of course! Well, it's about your daughter. I feel that she may not belong in this class." Gold narrowed his eyes dangerously at her.

"And what do you mean by that? Is my daughter not worthy to be in your class?" The woman jumped and waved her hands in front of her defensively.

"No, no! I'm not saying that at all. Lily is a delight to have and I'm very happy she's here..."

"Then why wouldn't she belong?" She took a deep breath.

"What I mean is I think the class might be too easy for her." Gold raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Too easy?"

"Yes. She's a very intelligent child. She already knows all of the material, she can read faster and more accurate than most, and her work is perfect every time. When I asked her, she did say everything was too easy. I feel she may be more suited for an upper class. I think she's ready to skip kindergarten and move onto the first grade."

"First grade?" Gold was truly stunned by this. Yes, Lily was very smart, but he didn't think she was that smart. She had been a very active reader since she was three and taught herself when he didn't have time for her. This confused him even more. She stopped growing physically, yet her intellect was increasing with each passing day. What did this mean?

"Yes. I feel she'll be more comfortable there and be given more of a challenge. I was wondering if you would be okay with her transferring to the elementary school for first grade. Of course, this will be up to you if she does. Your consent is needed for this." He thought on this. If what she said is true, then maybe Lily could transfer, but he needed to know how she felt about it. He stood from his chair, the teacher standing up as well.

"I shall think about it. If that is all, I shall take my daughter home."

"Yes. Of course, sir. Thank you for coming." He turned and walked away. He found Lily playing on the slide. She saw him come out of the building and ran over to him. She grabbed her bag from the bench and they went to the car. On the drive back, Gold starting thinking more on this. Could Lily move onto the first grade already? She would be the youngest one there. Was she truly ready for that?

"Flower?"

"Yes, Daddy?"

"Did your teacher tell you why she called me in today?" She shook her head.

"No. She just said I wasn't in trouble." It made sense. Usually when parents were called in for meetings, it meant the child was in trouble. Luckily, that wasn't the case with Lily. She was a very well behaved child. She always has been.

"Well, she said that you may not be suited for kindergarten. She thinks that you're very smart and ready to move on to the first grade." Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Really?! Can I, Daddy? Can I?" He chuckled at her eagerness.

"Well, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. Do you think you're ready for that? You really need to think about this. It means you'll have more responsibility for school and your work. The class will be a little harder than kindergarten. Do you believe you're prepared for that?" Lily thought about it. While she liked her teacher and class, it was too easy for her. She didn't like when things were too easy. She liked to be challenged and figure things out. Plus, if she went to first grade, she could see Henry more.

"Yeah! I think I can do it." Gold hesitated. Was she really ready? He couldn't be sure.

"Alright, flower, but if you don't think you can handle it, you can go back to kindergarten. Is that alright with you?"

"Yes. Thank you, Daddy!" He chuckled again.

"Of course, flower."

 

After that, Lily was put in first grade. Even better, she was in Henry's class. They were both happy that they could spend more time with each other. This happened year after year. Lily kept moving up in her grades while never once aging. She was able to spend more time with Henry during class while still being her daddy's little flower. Lily was happy knowing that her wish had come true after all. Henry, on the other hand while happy for still having his friend, still questioned how it was possible. As he got older, it made even less sense that she never aged. He also noticed that no one in town aged. Everything was the same everyday. Nothing made any sense to him.

They were now both in the fourth grade. They even had the same teacher, Ms. Blanchard. They liked her and thought she was really nice. One day, they were given the assignment of filling out a family tree. Henry was uncomfortable about this. He was adopted, so he knew nothing of his real family. His mom told him it was a closed adoption, which meant they weren't allowed any contact with his birth parents. While eating lunch together, Henry shared his concern with Lily.

"That must be hard for you not knowing your real family. I don't know too much about my family other than my mom. My dad died before I was born and she didn't like me enough to tell me about my grandparents."

"Yeah, but I don't know anything because my mom didn't love me." He put the sheet in his folder and closed it. Before Lily could respond, she looked up and saw Ms. Blanchard coming over to them.

"Hello, Henry. Lily." They both addressed her.

"Hi, Ms. Blanchard." She then looked to Henry.

"Henry, you didn't turn in your homework again. Is there a problem?" He lowered his head in silence. "Lily, can you give us some privacy?"

"Okay." She got up and left the table. Ms. Blanchard then sat down next to Henry.

"Oh, Henry. Things really will change if you believe it. Life is unpredictable." He closed his lunchbox and turned to her.

"Is your life unpredictable? Because it seems that everything is pretty much the same around here, except me." Ms. Blanchard stayed quiet to give him time to speak again. "My birth mom didn't love me. Regina says she does, but she doesn't. I...I don't belong here."

"You do belong here, Henry. You are loved. If you weren't, Regina wouldn't have kept you and did all that she did for you. Lily wouldn't be as close as a friend to you as she is. You are very loved." Henry was quiet. He didn't feel loved. His own birth mother gave him up. What other reason would she have other than she didn't want him? "I want to show you something. This morning, I was cleaning out my bedroom closet like I had done every week thousands of times and do you know what happened? I found something. Something I've never noticed before."

She went into her bag and pulled out a large rectangular book. She moved his lunchbox and placed the book in front of him. On the cover in large letters was written Once Upon a Time. "It was just there. Like magic."

"That's not possible." Henry opened the book and started to flip through the pages.

"Well of course not, but it happened. This book somehow arrived. Was it given to me? Did I forget about it? I don't know, but there it was. And you know what I saw when I looked inside?" Henry just saw a bunch of fairy tales that he already knew. "Hope."

"Looks like fairy tales to me."

"And what exactly do you think fairy tales are? They are a reminder that our lives would be better if we just hold on to hope. Your happy ending may not be what you expect, but that is what will make it so special." Henry thought about this. Fairy tales were all about following your hopes and dreams and getting the happy ending you deserve. You couldn't always get what you expect, but that's what makes it the best.

"Can...Can I borrow this?"

"You can have it." Henry smiled.

"Really?"

"Believing in even the possibility of a happy ending is a powerful thing. I think you can use it." She grabbed her bag and stood up, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "See you in class."

She started to walk away from the table while Henry continued to flip through the book. He landed on a page of a woman with black hair in a white dress and a man with brown hair in black cape with a brown shirt holding each other with worried expressions. They stood between two posts with flowers on them. The woman looked eerily like his teacher. "Ms. Blanchard!"

"Yes?" When she turned back to him, Henry saw her as that woman. Same hair, dress, everything. Was she that woman? He blinked and saw her back as her normal self. What was that?

"Thank you." She smiled at him.

"You're very welcome." She left him to the book. He flipped to the next page and saw the woman and the man with a baby. On the blanket was written a name.

"Emma." Henry then felt someone sit next to him. He looked and saw it was Lily. She pointed to the book.

"What's that?" Henry looked back to the page with the new family.

"Something important."


	23. Chapter 23

It's been a week since Henry receieved the book of fairy tales. It read it from cover to cover, yet something didn't seem right. The stories were about th usual fairy tale characters, but the stories were very different from what he knew. After reading through it over and over, he came to the realization of why. Taking his book, he went to Mr. Gold's shop to see Lily. Mr. Gold smiled at the young boy.

"Hello there, Henry." He stopped at the counter out of breath from running.

"Hey, Mr. Gold. Is Lily here? I need to see her. It's really important." Before Gold could respond, Lily emerged from the back room, Lady close behind her.

"Hi, Henry. What are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to you about something." She perked up.

"Ooh! Are we having another meeting?"

"Yes." He turned to Gold. "Mr. Gold, can I borrow Lily? We'll only be gone for a few hours."

"That depends on where you two are going. I'd like to know my daughter's whereabouts at all times." It was needless to say that Gold was still protective of his daughter. A little more so since she hangs out with Henry more outside of school.

"We're going to the usual place. We won't go anywher else. Just there and back. I promise." After a moment of thought, he smiled at the young boy.

"Of course. Be sure to have her back here no later than five o'clock." Henry smiled.

"Thanks, Mr. Gold. Come on, Lily. We gotta hurry." Lily hugged and kissed Gold before darting out the door with Henry, Lady still right behind her. They went to their usual hangout spot, a wooden castle playground near the beach. They usually met up there to talk or "have meetings" as they liked to call it.

"Okay. What's today's meeting about?" Henry reached into his bag and pulled out the Once Upon a Time book. He set it down between them.

"This." Lily raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"That fairy tale book Ms. Blanchard gave you? What about it?" Henry shook his head.

"It's not just fairy tales. All of this is real. Everything in this book happened. That's why things are the way they are around here. Lily felt even more confused.

"I don't get it."

"This book explains why things are always the same and nothing ever changes. It's all a curse cast by Regina, the Evil Queen." Lily held her hands up defensively.

"Woah, wait a minute, Henry. I get that your mom can be really mean and scary sometimes, but I don't think we can really call her an evil queen."

"No, I'm serious. She's the Evil Queen from Snow White. She's the Evil Queen and Ms. Blanchard is Snow White. She blames Snow White for her unhappiness and cast a spell to take away her happy ending. That's why everything is always the same. Time is frozen here and Storybrooke doesn't really exist." Lily was extremely confused about her friend's theory. None of it made sense, but she didn't want him to think she was being mean or making fun of him.

"Um...I don't get it. Why do you think this is real?" He opened the book and turned to a page with Snow White's and Prince Charming's wedding. He pointed to Snow White.

"Look. Ms. Blanchard looks exactly like Snow White." He turned to another page with the Evil Queen. "And Regina looks just like the queen. All of it makes sense. At the end, the Evil Queen cast a dark curse to send everyone in the Enchanted Forest to this world where no one would have a happy ending."

"If Ms. Blanchard is Snow White and your mom is the Evil Queen, then who are you?"

"That's the thing. I'm not from there. I'm from this world. That's why I am the only thing that changes. I don't belong in this town. I haven't put everyone together yet, but I figured out some people. I think Archie is Jimminy Cricket, the nuns are fairies, Ruby is Little Red Riding Hood..." Lily bounced in excitement.

"Oh, oh! Who am I?"

"I don't know. I'm not sure if you're anyone from a fairy tale. I think your dad is important though. He's the most powerful person in town next to my mom. He has to be important, but I'm not sure how yet. Different characters have kids that may or may not be that important." She pouted slightly.

"Boo. That's no fun."

"This isn't a game, Lily! This is real! All of it is! You believe in magic!"

"I did, but I know magic isn't real. As cool as it would be if it was, even I know it's not. Magic is make believe and can't be real."

"But..."

"Henry, I know you're really sad and upset about not feeling that you don't belong, but you do." Henry ws getting frustrated with his friend.

"This isn't about that! Just look at the book! I know it's true!" She reached for the book.

"Henry, I don't..." She stopped short as she touched the book. Henry was both confused and worried as her eyes glossed over.

"Lily? Are you okay?" Thousands of images flashed before her eyes. She saw things that weren't from her life in Storybrooke. It was from something else. Another life she seemed to have forgotten. The memories were strong and felt very real. Her earliest one was darkness, cold weather, and the sound of a baby crying. She then saw a strange man with almost reptilian skin and amber eyes smiling sweetly at her. The last was of her with that same man who was beind bars and then a flash of bright light.

She jumped back from the book. She remembered...everything. Her real name was Rose. Her father was Rumpelstiltskin and her mother was Belle. She came from the Enchanted Forest. Her birth mother didn't want her and she was found by Rumpelstiltskin. She loved him with all of her heart. She had a locket that gave her magical abilities. She was separated from her parents and staying with Snow and Charming. She was able to see her father while he was imprisoned, but she hadn't seen her mother again. She remembered Snow giving birth to her daughter, Emma. She was saved from the curse that the Evil Queen cast that very day.

"Lily! Lily!" She blinked and saw her friend looking at her with worried eyes.

"H-Henry..."

"Are you okay? What happened?" She jumped up.

"I-I remember! I remember everything!" Henry stood up with her.

"Remember what?"

"I know who I am! I remember Snow and Charming and the Evil Queen and the curse! I remember all of it!" Henry's eyes widened in surprise and pure shock. She remembered? He picked the book up.

"You do? So...I was right? Everything is this book is real?"

"Yeah, but I don't think I'm in there. My papa kept me a secret. No one knew I existed. I stayed in the castle most of my life."

"But...I have so many questions! This is so cool! Maybe you can fill in some of the blanks."

"Okay. I'll try." They sat back down across from each other.

"Alright. First thing's first. Lily Gold is your curse self. Who were you in the Enchanted Forest?"

"Rose. My name was Rose."


	24. Chapter 24

Lily, now Rose again, told Henry everything about her past life. She told him of how Rumpelstiltskin, who Henry now knew was Mr. Gold, found her and took her in when she was just a baby. She told him of her life living in the Dark Castle and how much she loved her papa. She told him about when she got a mama and when she first met her real mother. She told him of the events of her fifth birthday when she made her first friend with Quasimodo, or Victor in Storybrooke, and how he saved her from an angry mob. She told him about when Rumpelstiltskin went missing and she was alone with her mama. She told him how she got separated from her and lived with Snow White and Charming up until the curse. Henry hung onto every word and was intrigued.

"Woah! So it's true! I knew something wasn't right with this town! So, wait! You had magic?"

"Yeah and I was really good at using it. I never got to finish my training with Papa after he left."

"But do you still have it? You still have your locket. Can you use it here?" Rose thought about it.

"I don't know. I didn't remember, so I'm sure if it works." Henry then remembered something from when they were younger.

"Wait! What about that time with the well? You made a wish and it came true. You used your locket and then got it back the next day. Maybe you can still use it anytime you want." Rose remembered that night as well. She also remembered the second time she tried to make a wish. The shape of the dagger was still engraved on her locket for some reason. Luckily, Gold never noticed.

"I don't know. I remember Papa saying that the curse was supposed to bring everyone to a place with no magic. This world doesn't have magic. I don't think trying to do magic is a good idea right now. The curse is supposed to be broken by Emma, Snow's and Charming's baby. I think it's a good idea to wait until the curse is broken before trying anything else."

"But...Why? You did it before. What's the harm in doing it again?" Rose thought about if she should tell him. She made the promise to Mr. Jefferson that she wouldn't tell anyone about what happened that night, not even Henry. She's kept that promise so far. Maybe it wouldn't hurt if she told her best friend. He wouldn't tell anyone.

"If I tell you something, will you promise to keep it a secret?"

"Yeah. You know I will."

"Yeah, well, we should try magic again because it could be dangerous. A while after we ran away, Papa told me that he was afraid of me growing up and leaving him again. I didn't want him to be sad, so I went back to the well to make another wish." Henry's eyes widened in surprise.

"So that's why you stopped growing!"

"Yeah, but when I got there, I saw Mr. Jefferson. He believed that the well was magic too and wanted to make a wish. He wanted his daughter to remember him and come home. I didn't even know he had a daughter! I told him that I could make our wishes at the same time, so I did. After that, a giant purple cloud came out of the well and covered me."

"Woah! Really?"

"Uh-huh. It was really scary. Then, the cloud disappeared and this showed up on my locket." She held up her locket and showed him the engraving of the odd dagger. Henry looked and saw the dagger. He wondered how he never noticed it before. "I don't think the curse wants me doing any more magic. I haven't seen Mr. Jefferson since then, so I don't know if his wish came true or not. Either way, I don't know what will happen if I try to use magic again."

"How come you didn't tell me about that?"

"Because Mr. Jefferson made me promise I wouldn't tell anyone. Not even you. I really wanted to tell you, but I made a promise. You won't let him know I told you, right?"

"Well, yeah. We've always kept each other's secrets. I won't tell anyone." She smiled at him.

"Thanks!" Henry nodded and looked back down at the book.

"Okay. Now that I know everything is true, we have to find The Savior. If you put her in that wardrobe and sent her here, she could be anywhere. All we know is she's now in Storybrooke."

"Yeah. Hey! Maybe she's your mom!" Henry was surprised by her inquiry.

"What? What makes you think that?" She shrugged her shoulders.

"I dunno. It's just a feeling. Besides, you're the only one here that's not from the Enchanted Forest. What are the chances that you of all people get adopted by the Evil Queen and brought here? Papa always said that everything happens for a reason and there are no coincidences. Plus, you know what happens to anyone who tries to leave town." He nodded.

"Yeah. Bad things always happen."

"Maybe since you're not from there, you can leave. The curse doesn't apply to you. Besides, you've been wondering about your real family. She could be your mom." Henry thought on it. Could The Savior really be his real mom? She had to have a reason for giving him up. Maybe he was adopted by Regina on purpose. Was he supposed to figure everything out and bring The Savior to Storybrooke?

"Well...I don't know. My mom had a closed adoption with me. There's no way I can find out who my real mom is." Rose smiled at him.

"I'm sure you'll find a way. Anyway, I gotta go home. Now that I remember everything, I really want to see my papa." Henry smiled. After what she told him, it was only natural that she'd want to.

"Alright. I'll walk you home." They left the castle and went back to the shop. They said their goodbyes outside and Henry headed home. Rose entered the shop and saw Gold behind the counter cleaning some antique china. He smiled at his young daughter.

"Welcome back, flower. Did you have fun with your friend?" She ran over and hugged him. He was caught off guard by the sudden hug. He leaned down and returned the hug. She said nothing as she continued to hug him and buried her face in his torso. Gold started to worry. "Lily, sweetheart? Is something wrong?"

"I missed you, Papa." His eyes widened in shock. Her words were muffled into his torso, so he couldn't have heard her correctly. He gently tugged her out of the hug and knelt down to her level.

"What did you say?" She looked at him with sadness in her eyes. She knew he wouldn't remember anything because of the curse. He didn't remember any of their past. He didn't remember all of the precious memories they made in the Enchanted Forest. The games, the stories, the magic, none of it. It was all gone. She tried to give him a convincing smile.

"I just said I missed you." Gold could tell she was upset about something. He knew his daughter well enough to know her emotions. Whatever it was, he knew she would tell him when she was ready. Depending on whatever it was, he didn't want to push it. He returned a smile.

"I missed you too, flower. Say, it's close to dinner time. What do you say I close up early, we pick up something from Granny's, and watch a movie at home?" She smiled brighter.

"Okay!" He grabbed his keys, cut off the lights, and they closed up the shop. "Daddy?"

"Yes, darling?" She hesitated for a moment.

"I...uh...Henry and I read a really good book earlier. It had different names for things and I wanted to know if it was okay if I used some of them?" He chuckled in delight.

"Of course, flower. What sort of names?"

"Well...Can I start calling you 'Papa'?" He froze. She wanted to call him...Papa? That was a term he hadn't heard in years. It reminded him of when Lily was Rose. He truly missed it. He smiled at her.

"Of course you may." She smiled.

"Okay...Papa."


	25. Chapter 25

It had been a week since Lily started calling Gold "Papa." It was very nostalgic for him and he loved it. He felt like Lily was her old self to him. She was Rose again. It made him happy, yet it made him suspicious. She acted a bit too much like Rose. Despite the strong similarities between Rose and Lily, the child was acting more like the former. She began reading more than usual. Of course, this alone didn't throw him off. With her increasing intelligence, it would only make sense that she would want to. He also noticed she was in her garden a lot more. Before, she only went out a few times a week to tend to the flowers. Lately, she had been out there on a daily basis. Whether she was tending the flowers or playing with Lady, she was always out there.

He remembered when Rose was always outside in the gardens. He thought it was her way of getting close to the outside world. He never let her outside the walls of the castle. The garden was as much outside as she got. It was different now that she was always leaving the house. What made her go back to being outside all the time? He tried not to question it too much. There was no way Lily was Rose again. It was impossible. Even if it was possible for her to somehow manipulate the curse to allow her to have a bit of free range, getting her memory back wasn't something she would be able to do. The curse wouldn't allow it.

Lily was helping out around the shop as usual. Since her intelligence was steadily increasing, he tried to give her more responsibilities to see how she could handle them. She was first tasked with taking inventory. He gave her a list of the shop's items and she was to check off if the items were there. She seemed to be handling it well, allowing Gold to organize some records. That was when the door burst open and the sound on heels clacking against the floor was heard.

"Gold! I know you're here!" Lily jumped at the sudden outburst of Ms. Mills. Rolling his eyes, he got up from his desk and went out front.

"Madame Mayor. For what do I owe the pleasure?" She leaned against the desk and looked him in the eye.

"Where is she?" He narrowed his eyes at her.

"If you're referring to my daughter, I have the right to know what you want of her. Or did you forget our agreement?"

"I've forgotten nothing. You're here, so I need to ask her questions."

"About what?"

"About Henry." Lily, who was eavesdropping once again, heard Henry's name and came out from the back.

"What's wrong with Henry?" Regina saw her and her eyes flashed in anger.

"Where is he?" Lily was confused.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Regina slammed her hands on the counter top, surprising the young girl.

"Don't play dumb with me!" Gold stood in front of his daughter.

"Madame Mayor, I advise you not to yell at my daughter. Now, what's this with your son. You don't know where he is?"

"If I did, I wouldn't be here, now would I? He left this morning saying he was meeting Dr. Hopper today for some extra counselling. Hopper hasn't seen him all day, which means he must have been with your daughter."

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but Lily and I have been here all day and your son hasn't once come in. We haven't seen him either, isn't that right, Lily?" She nodded.

"I asked him yesterday if he wanted to come over, but he said he was grounded and couldn't go out. I haven't seen him 'cause I thought he was at home all day." Regina narrowed her eyes at the child.

"And he didn't tell you anything else? He didn't mention anything about what he was doing today? You know nothing about where he is?" Gold looked to his daughter. She and Henry were close and told each other everything.

"Lily, if there's something you know, you need to say so. If Henry's missing, this isn't the time to keep secrets. If you know something, tell us." There was no hesitation or thought.

"I don't know anything. Honestly. He didn't tell me anything." There was a hint of sadness in her voice. Henry disappeared and didn't tell her anything. He lied to her and his mom. What was he doing that she couldn't know about? Did he not trust her? What wasn't he telling her? Regina's face softened when she saw Lily was upset. She really didn't know anything. Regina sighed.

"Fine. You clearly don't know anything. Just...if you hear from him, let me know." Lily nodded. With that, the mayor left the shop. Gold looked to his daughter and saw she was so upset, she looked like she was on the verge of tears. He knelt down to her level.

"Are you alright, flower?" She looked up at him, her usually bright and sparkling emerald eyes now misty and clouded. She tried to smile.

"Yeah. I'm okay, Papa. I'm just...worried about Henry. I hope he's okay." He reached out and caressed her cheek.

"I'm sure he's fine. Henry's a smart boy. He'll be fine and he'll be back home before you know it. Don't you worry." She nodded.

"Okay, Papa." She heard Lady whine. Lily saw her beloved dog beside her. "Is it okay if I take Lady out for a walk?"

"Of course, flower. Don't wander too far off, alright?"

"I won't." She went to the back to grab Lady's leash. Once it was attached to her collar, Lily went out the back door. As she walked, she kept thinking about Henry. If he really was up to something, why didn't he tell her? She could've helped. She wondered what it was he was doing and where he was. She mostly hoped he was okay.

Later That Night

Henry had been missing the entire day. Lily was really worried. She couldn't imagine how worried Ms. Mills was. She was starting to think he ran away. But if he had, he would've told her, right? She was his best friend. They ran away together before. The least he could've done was told her about it if that was his plan. She could keep a secret. She wouldn't have told anyone. Where was he?

It was once again the night that Lily visited her mother. Even though Rose had her memories back, she still had Lily's desire to see her mother and keep her company. Rose knew it wouldn't change anything between them, but she was still compelled to go. She also wanted to see that other woman. She tried to think about who she might be. She could be anyone. Since she never got out in the Enchanted Forest, it could've been another prisoner somewhere. She figured if she talked to her again, maybe she could be someone Rose met.

She snuck out and headed for the hospital. When there, she gave the nurse the night's treat and went back to see her mother. She talked to her normally while doing her hair. The woman already hated her guts. She didn't want to tell her about her memories and a curse just to give her something else to mess with her about. She acted like Lily and gave her an update on everything else since the last time she saw her. She even told her about Henry disappearing. Of course, she tried to turn it around and make it seem like it was Lily's fault he was gone.

Finishing up her hair, she once again offered her a treat. She had some peanut butter chocolate chip cookies she made with Gold. Portia complained about how she wanted nothing from the child and cursed at her as she usually did. Rose tried to think back on how Lily dealt with that every time. Now that she was Rose again, it kinda hurt her a little more. She packed up her things and left the room. She then went next door to the much nicer woman.

"Hi, Miss. I got some cookies today. Peanut butter chocolate chip. They're really good." The woman approached the door.

"Those sound very interesting. Thank you." She stuck the cookies through the window. Hearing her voice, she noticed it sounded familiar. It was so familiar, yet she couldn't place it. It was still too risky to try to open the door to see her.

"Um...Miss? Can I ask you something?"

"Yes? What is it?"

"I...uh...I wanna see your face. I can't open the door, but I want to know what you look like. Maybe you can come closer to the window." The woman was silent for a moment.

"Why? Why all of a sudden?" Rose couldn't tell her either. She would think she was crazy. No one would believe in the Enchanted Forest and that they were from there. It sounded crazy.

"I just...We talk all the time, but I don't know what you look like. I really would like to. Please?" More silence. Rose was starting to think she would say no. "If you don't want to..."

"Okay." Rose perked up and had to keep herself from being too loud.

"Really?"

"Yes. I believe it's only fair. I get to see your adorable little face. Why shouldn't you get to see how I look?" Rose smiled.

"Thank you." Rose moved to the side slightly so the light would hit her face. The woman came closer to the window and Rose gasped as she saw the woman's face. She knew that face. Those bright blue eyes. That long curly hair. That voice. It all made sense! That's why she was so familiar!

"M-Mama?" The woman's face turned to one of confusion.

"'Mama?' Lily, are you alright?"

"I-I gotta go!" With that, Rose jumped from the stool and ran. The woman wanted to call out to her, but she couldn't risk it. She wondered what was wrong? Meanwhile, Lily ran out past Nurse Nancy's desk while dropping the keys. She was gone before Nancy could say anything. She was there. It was her the whole time. She couldn't believe it. Why was she there? What was she put down there for? Not watching where she was going, she ran out into the street where a car was coming. The car screeched to a halt, but Rose kept running. The sound of the car door opening and slamming closed was heard.

"Lily!" She stopped as she recognized the voice. She turned and saw Henry. "Lily, what were you doing? You coulda got hit."

"H-Henry?" It was Henry. She had been worried about him all day. Now that he was back, she didn't know what to do. She was still in shock from finding her mama after all this time. Henry saw something was wrong.

"What happened? Rose?" Hearing her name, she snapped out of her state.

"Henry...Henry! You're back! Where were you?!"

"Hey, kid!" She heard an unfamiliar voice from behind them. Rose looked and saw a woman standing by the car that nearly ran her over. "What the heck were you doing?"

"Henry, who's that? Where did you go?"

"I'll tell you later. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine! I was worried about you! Why didn't you tell me you were leaving?! Why did you lie to me?!" She was on the verge of tears. Now that she knew he was safe, she felt the need to scold him for disappearing on her.

"I'm sorry, but I want you to meet someone. Come on." He took her hand and led her over to the woman by the yellow car. She had long curly blonde hair and wore a red leather jacket. "Lily, or Rose, this is Emma Swan. She's my real mom."


	26. Chapter 26

Rose couldn't believe what she had just heard. Henry's real mom? He found her? How? Even he himself said that he had a closed adoption. She knew that meant they didn't know who his real parents were. How did he find her? And why didn't he tell her that he had started looking for her. She could've helped him. Why wouldn't he tell her something this big?

"Your...mom?"

"Yeah." He turned to Emma. "Mom, this is my best friend, Lily."

"Yeah, nice to meet ya, kid. What the heck are you doing out this late at night? Aren't you kinda young for that?" Now looking at the woman, she looked somewhat familiar. She couldn't place where she had seen the woman before. She definitely wasn't from around town. If she wasn't from town, then she wasn't from the Enchanted Forest like the rest of them. Where could she have possibly seen the woman before?

"I was...just heading home. You don't have to worry about me, Ms. Swan. Henry, your mom's worried. You need to go home." Henry groaned.

"She's not my mom. Emma is. And I think she's the same Emma from the book." Rose's eyes widened in surprise. Could the same Emma really be his mother? She had thought about it before, but she didn't think more than that. It could be possible.

"Henry, if..."

"Henry?" Rose turned and gasped as she saw Dr. Hopper coming towards them with Pongo. She couldn't let him see her. He would tell her papa and he couldn't find out that she was out of the house that late at night.

"I gotta go! I'll see you tomorrow!" She then took off towards her house. If Dr. Hopper did see her, she hoped he didn't know it was her. She made it back home and crept inside. Gold was still sleeping. As Rose unpacked her bag and changed back into her pajamas, she started to think about all that had happened. Henry left town and found his real mom. She just found out that her mama was right under her nose and she didn't know it. The question was why was she there? Did Gaston and her papa lock her up? Maybe the Evil Queen took her away like in Rose's vision.

Rose was saddened at the thought. Even after they knew of her visions, her mama and papa did everything they could to prevent them from happening. In the end, they happened anyway, just in different manners. That's how Rose learned a painful lesson. No matter how much you try to change things, they always find a way to happen. She had already lost her parents before she even knew it. Trying to put those thoughts to rest, she climbed back in bed and went back to sleep.

 

The next day, Rose got ready for school as she normally did. The thoughts of the previous still lingered in her mind, mostly on her mama. She didn't deserve to be in that place. She had talked to her for so long and not once has she been crazy or ill. The Evil Queen had to be the only reason she was there. It was the only thing that made sense. If she wanted everyone to be unhappy, taking away her mama and her papa's love would do it. They were still happy with each other, but they both knew something was missing from their lives. It was Belle. Rose had to get her out of there.

"Lily, darling?"

"Huh?" She was shaken from her thoughts by her papa. They were sitting at the table having breakfast.

"Are you alright? You're very quiet this morning." She couldn't tell him about Belle. He may have remember a Belle, but not his Belle. And then telling him would give away a secret she had been keeping for nearly three decades.

"I'm okay, Papa. I...just couldn't really sleep last night." Gold was instantly concerned.

"Did you have another nightmare?"

"Kinda."

"Do you want to talk about it?" She wanted to more than anything, but she couldn't. She hated it, but she smiled despite her true feelings.

"No. I'll be okay. Really?" Gold was wary, but he remembered Hopper's advice of waiting for her to open up to him. If it was a serious nightmare or even a vision, she wouldn't been screaming and crying that night. That wasn't the case, so he could assume it wasn't anything too bad.

"Alright then. Just remember, you can always talk to me about anything, flower."

"I know, Papa." They finished breakfast and Gold took Lily to school. She still couldn't stop thinking about Belle. There had to be some way to get her out of the hospital. She would figure out how she got down there some other time. How could she free her?

"Lily!" She looked up and saw Henry running over to her.

"Henry." He stopped in front of her. "So, did you get in trouble?"

"Yeah, but I don't care. I found my mom. My real mom."

"Oh yeah. How did you even find her? And why didn't you tell me?"

"That's a secret and I didn't want you to have to lie. My mom would always go to you if I wasn't at home. If you didn't know where I was, you didn't have to lie. And I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I know you would've wanted to know about my mom." He was right. She did want to know, but his reason made sense. You can't lie about something you don't know.

"Okay, so...Oh! Speaking of moms, I found mine too." He looked at her confused.

"What do you mean? You visit your mom all the time in the hospital."

"No! My other mom! The one I told you about from the Enchanted Forest! Belle!" His eyes widened in shock.

"Really? Who is she? Where is she?" She told him about the mysterious woman she had been talking to when she visited her mother. She told him how she finally saw her face and instantly recognized her. She was locked away and she didn't need to be.

"We gotta get her out. She doesn't need to be there, but I don't know what to do." Henry knew he was going to be under heavy supervision since he skipped town, so he couldn't help with breaking Belle out of the hospital.

"Hey, what about Mr. Jefferson? Maybe he could help."

"Letting two runaways stay at his house is one thing. Breaking someone out of a hospital is different. Plus, I haven't seen him in forever. He hasn't come to town in the past few years and his house is really far away."

"Yeah but he is the Mad Hatter. He might do it." Rose thought about it. Would he do it? He didn't remember the past, but she did. He frequented the Dark Castle a lot when her papa wanted something from him. She wasn't allowed to talk to him or even be seen by him, but she would watch some of their interactions from a distance. He was very quirky and did pretty much anything for the right price. His price was usually gold. She didn't have any gold to offer him for his help. What would he want in this world anyway? It wouldn't hurt to ask, right?

"I'll think about it. Come on. We gotta go to class."

"Actually, I got somewhere to be. I'll see you later." Before she could ask, he turned and left. She felt he was upset. Probably about the whole "real mom" thing. She went to class.

 

Later that night, Rose snuck out once again. It was odd for her since she had never snuck out two nights in a row. She made her way into the forest to Mr. Jefferson's house. She still didn't have any idea what he would want if he'd help her. The only thing she could think of was his daughter, but that didn't work out too well last time. She still didn't even know what the girl looked like. Hopefully, he'd want something she could offer. She reached his house and rang the doorbell. After a few moments, the door opened and revealed the dark-haired man. He looked down and smiled at her.

"Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise? Lily, right?" She smiled at him.

"Yeah. You remember me."

"Well of course. Couldn't forget about Gold's kid. It's still a shock to this day." She giggled. Lots of people were still questioning her relationship with her papa, but no one knew half of what she knew about him.

"Yeah. Anyway, I was wondering if you could help me with something. It's really important." He quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Wow. So serious for one so young. Come on in. We'll talk." He let her in and they went to the living room. He offered her some sugar cookies he recently made while she talked. She couldn't tell him exactly who Belle was, so she talked around her identity. She told him that a woman she was close to was locked away under the hospital with her own mother. She knew she didn't deserve to be there and needed help to get her out. She didn't know how much of the story that he would buy or if he'd help her break someone out. "Is that so? What does she look like?"

"Uh...She had blue eyes, long brown hair, kinda pale, real pretty." Jefferson took in this information and nodded. He knew exactly who she was talking about. Before he was banished to Wonderland, he had met the woman a couple of times. He knew she was Rumpelstiltskin's maid and he knew the Dark One cared for her in some degree. Had he been around a little longer, he would know just how much. He knew the Evil Queen had to put her down there for some reason. Probably to mess with Rumple. He knew releasing the woman would really irritate the current mayor.

"Alright then. I'll help you release her." Rose's eyes widened in shock.

"Really?"

"Sure. If you say she doesn't deserve to be there, then I'll help you set her free." She smiled brightly at him.

"Thank you! I was afraid you'd say no! Oh, what do you want for your help? I can't give you much, but..." He lifted his hand to silence her.

"No charge. Let's call this my return favor for trying to help get my daughter back." She suddenly felt sad at the memory. All he wanted was his daughter and he couldn't get her back.

"I'm sorry you didn't her back. I really tried."

"I know and I'm thankful. I'll find another way. But for now, let's start with your mission." He stood up and went into the kitchen. She followed him and saw him get a small white pouch from the cabinet.

"What's that?"

"This is a little powder that puts you to sleep. You can slip this to whoever is down there keeping watch. After they ingest it, it's lights out almost immediately. Works every time." She cocked her head to the side in slight confusion.

"Okay, but why do you have that?" He gave her a smile.

"Let's just say I have some neck pain that keeps me awake. This helps me sleep." She nodded in understanding.

"Oh, okay. How do I get her to take it?"

"Well, what do you usually do to get her to let you pass?"

"I give her food. Cookies, brownies, things like that." He snapped his fingers.

"Perfect. I still have some cookie dough left." He pulled over a mixing bowl that was sitting next to the stove. He ripped open the packet and sprinkled the powder into the dough. He stirred up the dough more. "A little assistance?"

"Yeah!" She loved baking. She always helped out her papa in the kitchen. She also helped Belle all the time back home. Hopefully, they would be able to do that again once she was freed. They baked the last batch of cookies with the sleep powder.

"Alright. Give these to her and she'll be asleep for the rest of the night. Plenty of time to release your friend." He put the cookies in a container and gave them to Rose. She took them and put them in her bag.

"Thanks, Mr. Jefferson."

"Anytime, kid. Just never ask me to help hide a body." Lily giggled at his silliness.

"Okay. I gotta go now. See you later."

"See ya, kid." After their goodbyes, Rose left. She felt a bit nervous about the sleeping cookies. What if they didn't work? What if Nurse Nancy woke up before she could get Belle out? Trying to shake off her nervous feeling, she headed for the hospital. After punching in the secret code and descending the stairs, she smiled as she saw Nurse Nancy. The nurse had a look of confusion. She already had her story ready.

"Lily. You just visited yesterday. What are you doing back so soon?"

"Well, I saw a hair style today that I thought would look pretty for Mommy. I wanted to try it out before I forgot what it looked like. Plus, something really cool happened at school today that she might like to hear about." Nancy gave the child a look of compassion and a tinge of sadness, but gave a small smile.

"Alright then. You know the fee." Rose reached into her bag and pulled out the container of cookies.

"Sugar cookies and they're still warm. Me and my daddy did some late night baking and he fell asleep after the last batch." She quirked an eyebrow at the girl as she took the cookies.

"Really? What happens if he wakes up and finds you gone?" She took a cookie and bit into it.

"He's a heavy sleeper. He'll be asleep for a while." And soon, so would the nurse. Nancy reached for the keys beside her and handed them to Lily.

"Here you...go..." Her head fell on the desk, cushioned by her arm. Rose's eyes widened in shock and worry. She quickly went to her side. When she saw that she was still breathing, she took a breath. It was almost as scary as when she hurt all those guards back in the Enchanted Forest. She took the keys and ran to the back rooms. She stopped in front of Belle's door and quickly unlocked the door. In the dark room, she saw a silhouette rise from the bed.

"Who's there?" Taking a breath, Rose entered the room and walked over to the bed. In the moonlight, she saw the face of her loving and beautiful mother. Her real mother. The mother that actually loved her and took care of her. The woman that put her life on the line for her. She wouldn't remember any of that, but it didn't matter. Belle looked at her worriedly. "Lily? What are you doing in here? If the nurse catches you, you'll be in huge trouble."

"It's okay. She's asleep. I'm here to get you out of here. You don't need to be here."

"That's not for you to decide. And you don't know that."

"I do know! I know you! I didn't remember you before, but I saw you, I knew who you were and I know you aren't supposed to be in here! You're not like my mommy! You're nice and smart and brave! You have a big heart and you fell in love with someone who thought he couldn't be loved! You love him and his daughter!" Belle stared at the child in surprise. She didn't know what to say. What that really who she was? Did Lily know who she was? Who she was supposed to be? Who she was before she ended up down there?

"Lily, you know who I am? Who my family is? Where I belong?" She eagerly nodded.

"Yes. Your name is Belle. You're nice and loving. You love to read and always stand up for what you believe in, even if no one agrees with you. You're loved by someone who people see as bad. Me and you are the only ones that know how caring and nice he really is. He misses you and I do too. You belong with us and we want you back. We need you so we can be a family again. Please. Come back home. Please." She saw the sadness and pleading in her emerald eyes. Was that really where she belonged? Was Lily and her father really her family? From what she's heard of her father and from how sweet, kind, and pure Lily was, Belle believed it and wouldn't rather be anywhere else. She smiled.

"Alright, Lily. I'll come home." Tears fell down Lily's face as she laughed and hugged her mama. Belle wrapped her arms around the child and returned the hug. It felt familiar to her. The warmth, the love, the tenderness. If it wasn't clear to her before, it was now. She was meant to be with them. Lily pulled herself away from the hug and smiled up at Belle.

"Let's go home. We can surprise Papa in the morning when he wakes up. He'll be so happy to see you again." Belle smiled.

"And I'm sure I'll be happy to see him as well." With that, Belle stood up and Lily led her out of the room. They passed by Nurse Nancy's desk and saw she was still knocked out. Belle gasped in surprise. "Is she alright?"

"Yeah. She's okay. She's just sleeping. She'll be fine in the morning." Lily placed the keys on the desk and they left the hospital. As they walked, Rose noticed Belle belly slightly poking out. She gently poked it, causing Belle to give a small yelp.

"What was that for?"

"Your belly got bigger."

"Well, yes. I happen to be four months pregnant." Rose's eyes widened.

"You're having a baby?!"

"Well, yes. You didn't know?"

"No! I don't think Papa knows either! He'll be so happy! I am! I always wanted a brother or sister! Or both!" Belle giggled.

"Let's not get carried away. I'm quite sure one will do for now."

"Well, it doesn't matter. We're gonna be a family again." Belle smiled at the thought of family life. She and her husband (so she assumed), raising Lily and their new child together in a happy little home. A home filled with joy and laughter and love. Someone to love her unconditionally and someone to give her love to. Children to care for and nurture. It was so beautiful.

"Yes, we will and nothing will change that." Rose then reached up and took Belle's hand. Lily's locket suddenly started to glow. Neither of them noticed with two purple streams of light emerged and entered their eyes, causing them to stop. Both of their eyes had taken on a glowing purple. They released each other's hands and started walking again, but in different directions. Belle went to Gold's home, where she belonged while Rose was heading for the town line. Usually, when someone tried to leave town, something bad would happen to prevent it. Instead, nothing happened for Rose. There was no wolf to block her path. No sudden cars to crash into her. As she got closer to the line, her eyes only grew brighter.

Then, she crossed. She was over the line and no longer in Storybrooke. Had she looked behind her, she would find nothing. No street light. No sign for Storybrooke. No town. Even after she crossed, her eyes didn't return to their normal emerald color. The purple glow was dimmer, but still there. Rose kept walking, unaware of her own actions. She was led farther and farther away from the town that was once her home.


	27. Chapter 27

The next day, Henry went to school like he was supposed to, but he noticed that Lily wasn't there. She rarely ever missed school unless she was sick. She seemed fine the previous day, so why wasn't she there? He planned to drop by Mr. Gold's shop afterwards to check on her and see how she was. When school was let out, Henry stayed behind to talk to Ms. Blanchard.

"Hey, Ms. Blanchard." She smiled at him.

"Hello, Henry. May I help you with something?"

"Yeah. I just wanted to get the homework for Lily since she was out." She gave him a confused look.

"Lily?"

"Yeah. She was out and I wanted to give her the assignment."

"I'm sorry, Henry, but there's no one named Lily in class. You know that." It was Henry's turn to be confused. What did she mean Lily wasn't in the class? She's been there since the beginning of the year.

"Yes there is. Lily Gold. Smartest girl in class. Mr. Gold's daughter." She shook her head.

"Henry, you know Mr. Gold doesn't have a daughter. Of course, no one knows what he's going to have, but he doesn't have a daughter old enough to be in this class." Henry was even more confused. She didn't remember who Lily was? Why? It didn't make sense. The whole town knew Lily. Something else caught his attention.

"Wait, what do you mean we don't know what he's going to have?" She wore a worried and confused expression.

"His fiance is having a baby. Henry, are you feeling alright? You seem a bit off today." Without answering, he turned and ran out the door. None of it makes sense. What fiance? What baby? Where was Lily? Why didn't Ms. Blanchard remember her? The entire town knew about Lily. He ran to Mr. Gold's shop to get to the bottom of things. Surely, Mr. Gold would remember his own daughter. When he entered the shop, he saw Mr. Gold at the counter. The older man looked up and smiled at the young boy.

"Ah, Henry. To what do I owe this visit?" Henry approached the counter.

"I'm looking for Lily. She wasn't in school today and my teacher doesn't seem to remember her. I was wondering if maybe she was out sick." Mr. Gold's eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

"And who might this 'Lily' girl be, my boy? Perhaps I've seen her." Henry couldn't believe it. Did no one know who Lily was but him? It didn't make sense.

"Lily Gold! Your daughter!" Gold chuckled.

"I'm sorry, but you must be mistaken. I do not have a daughter. It's possible that I may in the near future." Henry then remembered the fiance Ms. Blanchard mentioned. Before he could ask, a woman emerged from the back room. She had long curly brown hair and bright blue eyes. She wore a light blue dress and white flats. Henry could see a slight bulge on her belly.

"Alright. I've finished with the inventory and...Oh, Henry. Didn't know you were here." The woman had a lot of the similar features of Lily's mom that she described.

"Belle?" She giggled.

"No. Lacey, although Belle is a nice name." She turned to Gold. "We could name the baby that if it's a girl."

"I think it's wonderful, dear." Henry was having a hard time trying to piece together what was happening. Belle, or Lacey in Storybrooke, was released and everyone knew her. Maybe Lily was able to free her, but that didn't answer the most important question: Where was Lily?

 

Somewhere in New York City (earlier that morning)

In an apartment complex, a young man with dark brown hair and brown eyes was getting ready to go out for the day. After he got dressed and ate a light breakfast, he headed out the door. As he was about to lock his door, he saw something out the corner of his eye. He looked down and his eyes widened at what he saw. It was a little girl with long brown hair asleep beside his door. He knelt down and examined her. Her rosy cheeks were bright red and her lips were pale. He reached up and felt her cheek, confirming his theory. She was freezing cold, but she was still breathing. He gently shook her shoulder to try and wake her.

"Hey, kid. Are you alright?" Her eyes slowly opened, just enough for him to make out her emerald eye color. They slowly closed again. He gently picked her up and brought her into his apartment. He laid her on the couch and covered her in a thick blanket. He wondered who she was or where she came from. Her clothes were thin, her shoes were worn out and the only thing she had to keep her warm was a light jacket. Was she a runaway? She was very young and she didn't have anything with her. Maybe her stuff was taken. Being as small and young as she was, she was practically defenseless. The man called into his job, telling them an emergency came up and he wasn't able to make it in. He stayed home with the young girl as she slept.

Hours later, the girl's eyes fluttered open. She looked around and saw she was in some sort of apartment. None of it looked familiar to her. She slowly sat up on the couch she was laying on and stretched out her arms. Suddenly, a man came out of the back room. He saw her and gave her a gentle smile as he approached her.

"Hey, kid." She stared at him with curious eyes.

"H-Hi."

"You feeling any better?" Feeling better? Was she sick? Her head did hurt a little bit. Maybe she fell and hit her head? She didn't know, but the man was looking for an answer.

"I guess." She felt her throat was very dry. "C-Can I have some water, please?"

"Sure. Be right back." He got up and went into the small kitchen. She removed the blanket from her body and swung her legs over the couch. The man came back with a cup in his hand and gave it to her. "Here."

"Thank you." She took the cup and drank it all in one gulp. She was thirstier that she realized. She gave the cup back to him.

"Alright, then. You hungry? I got some stew leftover from lunch." She nodded.

"Yes, thank you." He went back to the kitchen. While she waited, the girl tried to think about what happened to her. Did she get sick? How did she get where she was? Where was she? The man came back with a bowl and another cup of water. He placed them on the coffee table in front of her.

"Be careful. It's hot."

"Thank you. Um...Can I ask you something?" He took a seat on the couch beside her.

"Sure."

"Um...W-Who are you?" So we're getting down to it, he thought. He thought it would be best to wait until she was comfortable to ask her questions, but since she asked, he supposed it would start.

"My name's Neal. Neal Cassidy." She nodded.

"Okay, then...Who am I?"


End file.
